Breakdowns
by TheFrankMaster
Summary: Ever since Frisk rejoined the Dreemurr family, her memories had been relentlessly returning to her, causing several breakdowns as a side effect. The Dreemurrs are worried, but Frisk doesn't want them to tell anyone else about the matter. However, none of them realize that there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye… [Memories ep. 2]
1. Start of the day

**Hi! This story's going to be a bit different from** _ **Memories**_ **(as the genres might've revealed). Just thought I'd mention that.**

 **Also, I know the title might not be the best one you've ever heard… But, similarly to how it went in** _ **Memories**_ **, (mental) breakdowns and/or panic attacks play a major role in this story.**

* * *

 **Breakdowns**

 _Chapter one: Start of the day_

 **Three weeks after Frisk's return to the Underground**

Asriel slowly woke up to a continuous yet unsteady sound that echoed through his bedroom, reaching his ears and urging him to open his eyes to see the dark interior of the room he was in. His mind was still numb and his body weak, both factors forging an excellent recipe for reluctance to react to the noise. He was too tired for this.

It was then that he realized what the origin of the noise was…

He fully opened his eyes. His body protested when he sat up in bed and reached for the bedside lamp next to him. After a few seconds, his hand finally found it and turned it on, revealing another person in another bed that stood on the very other side of the room.

The other person had sat up as well, but her frightened eyes made her look like she was in a completely different world. She looked straight ahead, barely acknowledging the light, while her chest unsteadily rose and fell. Her face and hair were covered in sweat. It looked like she was suffering from a breakdown or a panic attack.

Asriel remained calm. He quickly got out of his bed, walked to the other side of the room and gently grabbed the other person's shoulders. This caused said person to turn her fearful gaze towards him. She flinched when he entered her view, and weakly tried to crawl away from the young goat man.

Asriel's grip on her shoulders was enough to keep her in place, making the person whimper. The prince looked straight into her eyes, feeling a sting rise in his gut as he watched her suffer, unsure if he'd be able to help her get out of whatever situation she was trapped in.

"Frisk," he tried. "Frisk…wake up. Whatever you're seeing is not real. You're alright. You're safe."

Frisk remained frozen. Asriel sighed in despondency before continuing his attempts to calm her down. He saw how her eyes gradually became calmer and calmer, until she eventually averted her gaze and gently pushed the prince's hands off her shoulders. He reacted by backing off a bit to give the Human some space.

Frisk put her hands on her temples before she spoke. Her voice shook a bit and had little confidence, its usual steadfastness was nowhere to be found.

"Uh…thanks."

"Don't mention it," Asriel softly said. "Are you okay?"

"Define 'okay'."

The prince sighed. "Frisk, I really think we should at least tell Alphys about this. She'd probably be able to help."

The Human looked him in the eyes when he said that, allowing him to see the stubbornness that he had seen so many times before in the three weeks after her arrival. The same stubbornness she had shown when she _ordered_ that no one else would be told about her breakdowns. Every time one of the Dreemurrs said that she had to find help, she said the same sentence each and every time with that expression. The very sentence she said to Asriel as he looked back at those uncompromising eyes.

"It's _my_ problem, not theirs."

Asriel's look displayed pity and sympathy in return, causing Frisk to once again avert her gaze.

"Look, just…go back to sleep, alright?" she said. "We'll talk about this in the morning."

The young goat man let out another sigh, but obeyed. As he walked back to his own bed and lied down, he wondered how in the world Frisk expected him to 'just go back to sleep'.

* * *

"Another incident tonight?" Asgore asked when Asriel and Frisk, both obviously tired, entered the dining room. He himself had been sitting at the table with a cup of tea, looking at the duo that came in.

Asriel let out a chuckle. "What gave it away?"

Asgore sighed and stood up. "Perhaps I should make you two breakfast."

"There's really no need for that…" Frisk weakly objected. "We'll be alright doing that ourselves…"

"No," the king calmly but steadfastly replied. "You two sit down, I will be back."

After a while, the three were silently eating their breakfast, with Asgore and Asriel stealing quick glances from the Human. Frisk herself just focused on her food, not noticing what the other two were doing. Eventually, Asgore spoke up again.

"Frisk?"

Frisk looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"Can we talk again about…your memory problems?"

"Do we have to?"

"Dr. Alphys might be able to help. If not her, perhaps we could find someone else in the Underground who knows how to deal with this kind of experiences."

The Human sighed. "We've been through this. This is something _I_ have to deal with. It's bad enough that you guys got involved."

"You're going to need _something_ ," Asriel cut in. "How else are you going to solve the situation?"

"Wait until I got my full memory back."

"Even if we were that patient," Asgore said, "what is to say the breakdowns will stop? And what is to say that, while we wait, we will not get something like…last week…"

The other two cringed when that subject was brought back. Last week's incident involved Frisk getting the worst breakdown she had had thus far. The terrifying hallucinations she experienced had caused her to run around the castle in fear, forcing Asgore to restrain her until it stopped. When it did, Frisk had cried for the very first time since she joined the Dreemurr family.

"N-not going to happen," Frisk said, although she herself sounded unconvinced. "That was once, but never again."

"How do you know?" Asriel asked.

"I just do," Frisk said before quickly finishing her meal. "Trust me."

And with that, she left the dining room, ending the conversation.


	2. Something's wrong

_Chapter two: Something's wrong _

**Text message**

 ** _Sans:_** _alright ill just say it_

 ** _Sans:_** _somethings wrong_

 ** _Alphys:_** _What do u mean?_

 ** _Sans:_** _im talkin about frisk_

 ** _Sans:_** _we dont see her as much as we used to_

 ** _Sans:_** _and when we do, she seems off_

 ** _Undyne:_** _Yeah_

 ** _Undyne:_** _So what now?_

 ** _Sans:_** _now?_

 ** _Undyne:_** _We're gonna do something right?!_

 ** _Sans:_** _like what?_

 ** _Undyne:_** _I dunno_

 ** _Undyne:_** _Storm castle and demand answers_

 ** _Alphys:_** _I don't think that's a good idea_

 ** _Undyne:_** _Then we just demand answers_

 ** _Undyne:_** _Without storming castle_

 ** _Sans:_** _you know how stubborn frisk is_

 ** _Sans:_** _and determined_

 ** _Undyne:_** _So?_

 ** _Alphys:_** _She doesn't want us to know something_

 ** _Sans:_** _thats what i thought_

 ** _Sans:_** _somethings bothering her_

 ** _Undyne:_** _What's wrong with demanding answers?_

 ** _Sans:_** _she will never tell us anything_

 ** _Undyne:_** _Okay then what do we do?_

 ** _Sans:_** _ill ask tori if she knows anything_

 ** _Undyne:_** _Alright_

 ** _Undyne:_** _Asgore and Asriel might know something too_

 ** _Alphys:_** _What if they don't?_

 ** _Sans:_** _theyre our only leads_

 ** _Alphys:_** _True_

 ** _Alphys:_** _I'll ask him if I see him_

 _ **Undyne:**_ _Me too_

 _ **Sans:**_ _plz leave paps out of this_

 _ **Sans:**_ _for now at least_

 _ **Alphys:**_ _Ok_

 _ **Undyne:**_ _Ok_

* * *

 _Continue walking._

Sans' usually lazy attitude had made place for a stiff, somewhat tense one. His face was completely devoid of emotion, and instead of his sluggish way of walking, he moved in a pace most people would consider to be normal. Maybe even a bit _faster_ than normal.

 _Keep going. Your destination is near._

He currently found himself in Waterfalls, walking the path that would eventually lead to where he once pranked Frisk with the classic telescope trick. He could still remember her amused reaction. The paint on her eye had barely bothered her.

 _There. Mere steps ahead._

But he was not here for the telescope. No. He was here for…for…

He blinked.

What was he here for?

Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked over, and to his horror he saw a ghostly white door in the wall to his left. In addition to the soft, tranquil light it radiated, Sans felt an energy coming from it that messed with his senses. It made his vision blurry and his ears ring, with a rising headache as a side effect. That door's presence, its very _existence_ was an anomaly. It didn't belong, yet here it was.

 _The Door._

Panicked, the skeleton grasped his head. What had caused him to come here? He could remember the last few minutes, but it was as if his mind had been…influenced by…something.

 _I have reached out to you. Have called for your aid. I need you to trust me. Your assistance is essential._

Sans took a step back. That voice… That eerie, dreadfully familiar voice had been in his head the entire time he'd been…possessed. The two phenomena were connected. Whoever that voice belonged to was responsible for leading Sans here.

 _Please consider your actions. They will heavily influence imminent events. If you enter that door, it will allow me to help your friend. If you do not, I must reach out to her personally._

 _Trust me. Trust yourself._

Those two last words finally allowed Sans to understand.

His eyes widened.

"no…" he muttered.

 _Help me. Help your friend._

The skeleton let out a raspy cry, turned around and ran back to where he came from, shutting out the voice as he fled from the nightmarish door. He ran all the way back through Waterfalls, eventually reaching Snowdin. Once there, he went straight for his house, ran inside, turned around and locked the door behind him.

He put his back against the door, out of breath, slowly sitting down on the floor.

"SANS!" Papyrus called from the stairs. He immediately made his way down and to the door, kneeling in front of his brother and grabbing him by the shoulders.

"SANS!" He repeated. "OH MY GOODNESS… SANS, TALK TO ME! WHAT HAPPENED? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

Sans, who was still out of breath, struggled to get any words out. "whuh…whoa…i…i can…can…"

Papyrus waited until Sans had gotten his breathing steady again, which took a while thanks to the shorter skeleton's lousy physical condition. When his breathing was normal, he began to talk.

"he…he took me there…"

The younger one tilted his head. "WHO TOOK YOU WHERE?"

Sans opened his mouth again, hesitated, and spoke. "i…i was brought somewhere. i mean, it was my body that moved, but not my mind that controlled it. at least not completely."

"YOU…YOU WERE POSSESSED?"

"i…paps, i…heard a familiar voice. _his_ voice."

Papyrus' confused look made place for a shocked one, and the tall skeleton froze upon realizing what Sans was implying. "SANS…ARE YOU TELLING ME…?"

Sans nodded. "yup. our old friend is back. and he's apparently grown more powerful during his absence."


	3. Dark

_Chapter three: Dark_

 _…_

 _Frisk is suffering. I can see her getting crushed under the weight of the memories she regains, silently screaming in pain and begging herself to ask for help from outside. Yet she chooses to ignore these pleas, disinclined to share her burden with her friends. She never intended for the Dreemurrs to discover her issues, but how does one keep such a secret from those they meet every day?_

 _…_

 _I apologize. My thoughts about this matter nearly had me skip the formalities. You wish to know who I am, correct? Yet I believe you already know the answer to that. Forgive me if I am mistaken._

 _I am the being behind the Door. The Door that leads to…somewhere else. Yet at the same time, I am…someone else._

 _In time, you will understand. Unless you already do, of course._

 _Well, in any case… To avoid misunderstandings, I believe I should inform you that I am not responsible for Frisk's suffering. In fact, I am the one attempting to stop it. While it may seem that I am completely detached from the world she and her friends live in, I am still very much present._

 _…_

 _I should make an important fact known. There is a way to alleviate, possibly even remove Frisk's pain, but assistance is needed. This is why I summoned Sans…but as you noticed, I was being somewhat rash and inadvertently scared him away. Now, my objective is to find someone who would be willing to cooperate with me._

 _…_

 _Ah, of course. There is one last thing I need to tell you._

 _Currently, I am standing here, in my part of this…world – which seems to be some sort of…reflection…of reality. Sometimes I glance over to the other end, the one behind the invisible border that separates my side from…the Entity's. This Entity is the one responsible for both Frisk's amnesia and her suffering. It uses its power to have the upper hand in our battle over Frisk's memories._

 _Indeed, the Entity uses these memories – especially the dark ones – to torment the Human, creating vivid hallucinations and inducing the fear that almost continuously corrupts Frisk's mind in an attempt to break her will. It wishes to see her suffer._

 _Why, do you ask? Why does the Entity wish to see Frisk suffer? Why would it take her memory, only to return it in the most vicious way possible? To that question, I have the answer: the Entity itself is…corrupted. It has been in its current state – a similar state to the one I am in – for an extended period of time. During this time, it saw many things. It watched when the king committed six acts of homicide. It knew of his plan to destroy Humanity. It watched how the rest of the Underground cheered when he revealed this._

 _It saw the Flower's misdeeds, not even forgetting the instances where it caused a Reset. It saw how every other Monster attempted to kill the fallen Humans themselves. It saw the general hatred for Humans that rose in the Underground._

 _Seeing all these events transpire over such a long time have somehow turned the Entity into what it is today. It is not the Entity's fault that it is the enemy. It became bitter because of the connection it has got to the Underground. The…negativity that appeared had…infected it. Whether this happened through supernatural means or 'regular' mental torture is uncertain. Watching those you love commit such…crimes…is not to be taken lightly – even if the Entity itself does not care for Humans very much._

 _Then, Frisk entered the Underground for the first time. And with her arrival, hope began to return. When the Entity saw this, it already carried quite a bit of malevolence. Malevolence that – partially thanks to its jealousy – is now primarily aimed at Frisk herself._

 _…_

 _I made sure to avoid following the Entity down that path. Part of the reason why I succeeded was my more direct link to the physical world. This link –_ links _, actually – gave me better access to the more positive sides and events of the Underground than the Entity. The negative side was still very much in my view, but I did not allow it to affect me. It was difficult, but I was able to do it._

 _Perhaps it may seem inconsistent to you that the Entity still has the advantage. After all, hope and positivity has been returning to the Underground over the years after Frisk's first departure. Of course, corruption such as what the Entity has suffered is difficult to purge, but that is not the reason for its superior strength. The negativity in the Underground was never its weapon against me in the battle. It was merely the cause for its hostility._

 _It is the Entity's exceptionally powerful determination that allows it to keep me in this corner. I can still use my influence to help Frisk, but it is not enough to match the Entity's power. And as far as I am aware, there was only_ one _source of determination that possessed the power to exceed the Entity's. That source was Frisk when she was seven, whose determination even gave her the ability to survive the onslaught from the self-proclaimed god of Hyperdeath at a certain point in time. Even the Entity would never have been capable of such a feat – not as easily, at least._

 _…_

 _But now, Frisk's Soul produces less determination than it did nine years ago. It is still impressive – even for a Human – but she no longer possesses the motivation she once had. A possible explanation for this is the current lack of events that generate such motivation._

 _In any case, I should continue to ask for assistance. The Entity's power makes this place dark. And unless my vision is somehow failing me, it is still getting darker._

* * *

 **Huh, I don't recall writing this ch—**

 **You know what, I'm not even going to finish that sentence. I suppose it'd be too cliché.**

 **That, and I'm not entirely sure if/how it'd fit…**

 **Have a good day.**

 **~F**


	4. Doing some research

_Chapter four: Doing some research_

 **Text message**

 ** _Asgore:_** _Tori._

 ** _Toriel:_** _What is it, Asgore?_

 ** _Asgore:_** _It is Frisk._

 ** _Asgore:_** _She has suffered a major breakdown._

 ** _Asgore:_** _Disturbing memories have surfaced._

 _ **Toriel:**_ _Is she all right?_

 _ **Asgore:**_ _Not likely._

 _ **Asgore:**_ _She will need some recuperation._

 _ **Toriel:**_ _I will be there as soon as possible._

 _ **Asgore:**_ _Thank you, Toriel._

* * *

 **Snowdin**

Asriel looked up when he heard a familiar voice call his name, and saw Sans lazily walk towards him. His ever present grin made him look like his usual self at first glance, but when he came closer, the prince sensed a disturbed expression hiding behind the empty joy that masked his eyes. The laziness that was visible in Sans' way of moving himself forward was also definitely forced (if that's even possible) – something that wasn't usually the case. It was masterfully hidden, but Asriel could see through the lie.

"hey, az," greeted Sans. "how're ya doin' today? whaddaya say to some greasy food from grillby's? it just happens to be time for my lunch break."

"Uh, yeah, okay," Asriel said. "Grillby's sounds good."

"you said it, kid. c'mon, let's go."

Asriel followed Sans to the restaurant, where they were immediately met with warm air and jovial voices, the latter of which originated from the nearby customers. The two gave nods and greetings as they walked over to the bar, sitting down when they reached it. Grillby gave them both a nod before they ordered.

"A hamburger, please," Asriel politely requested.

"i'll take the same," Sans said. "with ketchup, of course."

The fiery Monster gave another nod before leaving to get their orders, giving the young goat man the opportunity to let out a sigh and close his eyes. He let his head hang. The skeleton next to him looked over with a questioning look.

"are you okay?" he asked.

Asriel reopened his eyes, avoiding Sans' gaze. "They're still looking at me like that."

"who? like what?"

"The other customers."

Sans blinked. He then took a discreet look over his shoulder, and saw that the majority of Monsters was busy whispering among themselves and stealing glances from the prince who was sitting next to him. What stood out was that their expressions didn't look like they were looking at a royal or a Boss Monster, but at something even more…miraculous.

"Nine years, and they're still not over the fact that I'm back," sighed Asriel. "I just want to be left alone." Frustration began to rise in his voice, but he made sure to keep quiet. "It wasn't me who brought me back, and I don't need to be reminded of what happened before that. Being called a 'miracle' definitely doesn't help."

The skeleton didn't know what to say to that. He himself didn't have experience with coming back from the dead – or the Soulless, rather – like Asriel did. He knew that the kid had gone through an unimaginable period of suffering, getting nightmares and breakdowns that were connected to his memories of being a flower. He was a victim of unthinkable pain when he returned, trapped in the body of a child. The memories about Flowey and his dead sibling had been a burden ever since. And yet, Asriel was still able to smile.

The pain was still there, however, and these other people talking about him like he was a miracle only brought it back up. Sans could understand why the prince was so angry about that.

Just after Asriel's return, the skeleton himself had an attitude similar to what the customers had now… But with less astonishment and more suspicion. This attitude eventually changed into a close friendship with the young Boss Monster, which Sans was thankful for.

Asriel sighed again before glancing over to his friend. "Sorry," he said, having calmed down. "I shouldn't be complaining."

"it's alright," the skeleton reassured. "if you ask me, i'd say you'd have every right to complain. enjoy your burger, by the way."

"Huh? Oh," muttered Asriel when he saw the burger in front of him. He looked up at Grillby. "That was fast."

Grillby gave a nod, which, despite the fiery Monster's stoic demeanor, seemed to display a hint of pride. He then went to take the orders from other customers, leaving Sans and Asriel to their respective meals. The former had also been given a bottle of ketchup.

"whaddaya expect, kid?" grinned Sans. "it's _fast_ food."

The prince chuckled and took a bite. "Been a while since I visited this place. I keep forgetting how good Grillby's burgers and fries are."

"tori doesn't like you going to this place, does she?"

"Well… She doesn't _hate_ it when I do, she just keeps telling me about how unhealthy it can be."

"right." Being reminded of what he was about to ask, Sans' pupils briefly flickered, not unlike a broken lamp. Asriel didn't see it. "anyway, i got a few questions for ya."

"Ask away," the prince said before taking another bite.

"alright…" The skeleton paused. "how've you been doing?"

"Uh, me? Good. You?"

"no offense az, but have you taken a look in the mirror recently?"

Asriel looked at him. He put his burger down before fully turning to his friend. "What do you mean?"

Sans' pupils flickered again. "look at you, kid. there's a bunch of bags under your eyes. you're paler than a polar bear. ever since frisk's return, something's been bothering you, we all see it. and speaking of frisk, we haven't heard much from her in a while now too."

"You know," Asriel said, "I thought this was going to be a hangout, not an interrogation."

Sans blinked before looking down at the bar. "sorry kid, it's just…" He sighed. "me, paps, undyne, Alphys – even mettaton… we've been worried about you two. there's somethin' goin' on with frisk, isn't there?"

The prince hesitated. He then let both his shoulders and his head hang, sighing. "Look, just…don't…" He paused, looking at his burger. "Don't ask. She's got a lot on her mind with her amnesia and all, you know… And I'm trying my best to help her with it, and so are Mom and Dad, and… Well…" He trailed off.

"right," the skeleton softly said. "sorry for askin'."

"It's fine."

Silence.

 _Come to me._

Sans flinched and looked up. "did you say something?"

Asriel blinked. "What? No."

 _I need you._

Sans flinched again and looked over his shoulder, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

 _Please trust me._

He felt sweat appear on his head, and quickly got off the bar chair. He stumbled backwards.

Asriel gave him a confused look. "Sans? What…"

He fell silent when he saw the terrified look on the skeleton's face.

"Whoa there, man. Are you okay?"

Sans hesitated. "uh…i, ah, i g-gotta go," he nervously stuttered before turning around and heading for the door. "c-catch ya later."

The prince frowned when Sans went through the doorway. He looked at Grillby, who silently shrugged.

Unbeknownst to both of them, Sans had gone to his sentry station, where he informed Papyrus of the reappearance of the voice – the same voice he had heard in Waterfall.

* * *

When Asriel entered the dining room, he was surprised to see both his parents sitting there with Frisk. None of the three looked very happy: Asgore and Toriel clearly felt pity for someone, and Frisk's expression revealed who that someone was.

Asriel almost flinched when he saw the Human's face. Frisk, who usually looked so strong and determined, sat there with reddened, teary eyes, looking down at the table. She looked like she had cried, or could start crying at any moment. Whenever she said something to the two Boss Monsters, her voice trembled and choked.

"Frisk?" he worriedly brought out as he carefully took a step into the room.

The Human glanced at him before regretfully averting her gaze, closing her eyes as she did. Asgore and Toriel looked over to their son, silently gesturing to him to take a seat. He obeyed and sat on the chair across from Frisk, whose reopened eyes were looking down at the table again.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Asriel asked, not comfortable.

"Asriel…" Asgore spoke. "Frisk has suffered another memory spark."

The prince's breath froze in his throat.

"These memories were…well…" The king scratched his head, not knowing how to continue.

"They were very unpleasant," Toriel softly finished.

Asriel looked at the Human. His expression turned ashamed. "Frisk… I'm so sorry, I…"

"No," Frisk softly said. She briefly looked up at him before averting her gaze again. "N-none of this is your fault, Asriel…"

"But I should've been here for you. I should've been here for you like a good friend would. Instead, what am I doing? Eating hamburgers at a fast food restaurant in Snowdin."

That allowed Frisk to generate a chuckle. "Heh…Grillby's, huh?" She gave him another glance and a small smile. "That's a good place. You've earned it. For being a good friend."

Asriel felt his face get warm. The compliment made him feel a bit better, but uneasy at the same time. He never knew what to say in response in situations like that.

Fortunately for him, the others were aware of this, and it didn't take long for the king to change the subject. "In any case, these memories…well…" He fully turned to Asriel. "You see, Asriel…the memories…well…they, uh…"

"I died," Frisk interrupted.

All eyes were at her now. Toriel and Asgore again looked pained and pitying, Asriel looked shocked. The Human looked up a bit, focusing her gaze at no one in particular.

"I died," she repeated. "I died several times during my first time in the Underground. I was killed by…other Monsters. I'm not going to say any names, and I'm not sure if I remember each and every death, but…

"Well, needless to say, it doesn't make much sense. I remember dying, but almost immediately after each death…something happened that brought me back to life. A-and this is going to sound stupid, but…I think that something was some kind of…time travel. I remember meeting people _again_ a-after dying, things happening in the _exact_ same way. And…I was the only one who knew it had already happened."

As can be expected, Asriel immediately knew what she was talking about. She wasn't the only one who knew about this time travelling stuff. He used to 'know' someone who had the same ability. Someone who, like Humans, possessed the power to turn back the clock and change fate.

He looked at Frisk. "Determination."

The Human blinked and looked back. "What?"

"Determination," Asgore spoke, "is a power that is mainly generated by Human Souls. It allows the user to persist after death…or cheat it. It is what makes Humans so powerful compared to Monsters."

"But…" Toriel spoke. "The only other being who was known to possess determination is…"

"F-Flowey," Asriel blurted out, mentally flinching when he said the infamous name. "He remembered it. When you travelled through time, he remembered it. His determination let him do that."

"Flowey?" asked Frisk. "Who was that again?"

Upon hearing that question, Asgore decided to interfere. "Flowey is…well…it is not something we talk about easily." He glanced at his son, who looked back with gratitude. While no one known liked to talk about Flowey, Asriel was the one who hated it the most. This is why the subject was rarely brought up by the Dreemurrs, or anyone at all, really. It bore too much pain.

"R-right," the Human uneasily said. "Sorry. Forget I asked."

"Don't worry about it," reassured Asriel. "Anyway, Alphys knows more about determination than anyone as far as we know. Maybe we should pay her a visit sometime to ask her about it."

"Perhaps we should," said Toriel. "But not now."


	5. Darker

_Chapter five: Darker_

 _…_

 _Once again, I attempted to contact Sans through…unethical means. And once again, I have to pay the price for it. Sans still refuses to help or listen to me, leaving me to slowly but surely lose the battle for Frisk's memories. Despite my best efforts, I can hardly hope to help her on my own._

 _…_

 _Again, I apologize. I am merely repeating what I have already told you. But due to my lack of strength, I will remain disadvantaged in the battle against the Entity, leaving Frisk at its mercy – or rather, its current absence thereof._

 _Of course, I could attempt to contact Papyrus instead. My connection to him is as strong as my connection to Sans, after all. However, seeing how I accidently disturbed the latter through these attempts, I doubt the former would react differently. The result may even be worse; he is more sensitive than his older brother. I refuse to put him through that._

 _And…well…I believe you may already know this, but they knew about me many years before Frisk's first arrival to the Underground. When they were younger, I inadvertently became the ghost that haunted their lives._

 _Sans' resurfacing fear for me is hardly significant compared to how Papyrus may react. His distress when Sans informed him of my reappearance was already too much for me to witness._

 _…_

 _But I am unsure of what to do now. I was only able to contact Sans because of my strong connection to him. The only other person in the Underground to whom I can reach out is Frisk. But…there is a reason why she has not heard from me._

 _Because I have no connection with her like the one I have with the skeleton brothers, contacting her would mean completely averting my attention from the battle – if only for a moment. During that moment, the little protection I can provide will be severely weakened, if not removed altogether. The Entity will exploit this window of time to cause the most extreme breakdown thus far: a breakdown unlike anything Frisk has already experienced. It would likely scar her deeply._

 _This is something I would rather not do. My defenses are weak as it is, but they are at least able to provide_ some _protection._

 _…_

 _That being said…I see no other way to save her. I may eventually be compelled to approach her as I have approached Sans. But the Entity's power is growing, making it progressively more difficult to contact Frisk as time passes. I will be honest: I am unsure whether I would be able to contact her now without the Entity launching its next attack against her first._

 _…_

 _I will have to think about this, but my decision cannot be delayed for much longer. It is still getting darker here._


	6. Unintentional revelations

_Chapter six: Unintentional revelations_

 **Text message**

 ** _Undyne:_** _Time's up_

 ** _Papyrus:_** _WHAT DO YOU MEAN?_

 ** _Sans:_** _i think undyne is done waiting_

 ** _Papyrus:_** _YES THANK YOU SANS_

 ** _Papyrus:_** _BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT_

 ** _Sans:_** _i think undyne wants to ask frisk whats wrong_

 ** _Undyne:_** _Sounds about right_

 ** _Alphys:_** _R u sure this is a good idea?_

 ** _Papyrus:_** _WHAT IF THIS DOES NOT CONCERN US?_

 ** _Undyne:_** _It does concern us_

 ** _Undyne:_** _We're her friends_

 ** _Alphys:_** _What if she doesn't talk?_

 ** _Undyne:_** _We'll ask Asgore_

 ** _Sans:_** _or toriel_

 ** _Sans:_** _though i doubt she'll talk_

 ** _Papyrus:_** _I AM WORRIED TOO_

 ** _Papyrus:_** _BUT WE SHOULD BE PATIENT_

 ** _Undyne:_** _I've been patient_

 ** _Sans:_** _asriel says it's just the amnesia that bothers frisk_

 ** _Papyrus:_** _THEN THEY WOULDN'T BE SO SECRETIVE ABOUT IT, WOULD THEY?_

 ** _Sans:_** _good point_

 ** _Alphys:_** _There's something more 2 it_

 ** _Undyne:_** _Alright where do we meet?_

 ** _Papyrus:_** _WAIT A SECOND_

 ** _Papyrus:_** _NOW?_

 ** _Undyne:_** _I'm out of patience_

 ** _Sans:_** _entrance of asgores house_

 ** _Sans:_** _new home_

 ** _Sans:_** _right now_

 ** _Undyne:_** _Alright_

 ** _Papyrus:_** _VERY WELL THEN_

 _ **Alphys:**_ _K_

* * *

 **New Home, not long after**

Sans was leaning against a wall in New Home, the same wall that held the entrance to the king's residence. He was aware that the inside looked almost like an exact copy of Home – the place where Toriel lived – with the main differences being the color and the basement. He wasn't sure what else was different; he had never been in the Ruins himself. It was Frisk who told him how similar the two homes were.

Frisk… She was the reason why the skelebros were here. It wouldn't be long before Undyne and Alphys arrived, after which the four of them were going to waltz into the castle and demand answers. Sans really hoped that he and the others were merely overreacting, and that the problem wasn't as bad as they suspected. He also hoped that Undyne was going to stay calm during the…interrogation.

He looked up at Papyrus, who was pacing in the pile of leaves with a troubled look in his eyes. He seemed nervous and regretful at the same time, causing Sans' brother instincts to be activated.

"paps?"

The taller skeleton stopped walking, his gaze turning Sans' way. "YES?"

"are you alright?"

"YES, OF COURSE! WHY WOULD THE GREAT PAPYRUS NOT BE ALRIGHT?"

Sans' back parted with the wall. He looked at Papyrus with a worried expression. "we're about to demand answers from some of our closest friends, paps," he gently said. "not to mention, our ghost has come back, and he seems more aggressive than ever. he was able to make me – one of the laziest people in the history of the underground – walk all the way to the waterfalls."

His younger brother momentarily froze before dropping his shoulders and looking at the ground, completely removing the already weakened aura of confidence he carried.

"it's alright to be worried, paps," Sans softly said. "i'm worried too. about both things. i'm worried about frisk, but also about what will happen when we do this. i'm worried about what this ghost is going to do."

Papyrus closed his eyes and sighed. "I… YOU'RE RIGHT, SANS. I _AM_ WORRIED. I'M WORRIED ABOUT THOSE EXACT THINGS. I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS. AND YES, I'M SCARED OF _HIM_. OUR GHOST." He reopened his eyes and looked at his brother. "BUT SANS… WHAT IF THIS REALLY DOESN'T CONCERN US? WHAT IF THIS IS BETWEEN FRISK AND THEM? WE CAN'T EXPECT THEM TO TELL US EVERYTHING, CAN WE?"

The shorter skeleton sighed as well and let his head hang. "no, you're right. we can't." He paused before looking up again. "paps…no one would think less of you if you backed out of this one. you don't have to do this. you're free to go home. i can handle this, and i promise i won't let the others go too far – or myself, for that matter."

Those words made the younger one hesitate for a while. He pensively looked at the leaves that found themselves underneath his feet, thinking about what he should do. It didn't take long for him to make a decision, however, and he looked Sans in the eye sockets when he did.

"THANK YOU, SANS… BUT NO. I WON'T LEAVE. DESPITE MY NERVOUSNESS, A PART OF ME WANTS TO BE HERE. I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT, BUT…WELL…IT'S HERE."

Despite the situation, Papyrus' response allowed Sans to feel a little more positive. He gave his brother a nod.

"So, you two are already here," Undyne's voice rung out. The skelebros looked over to see the Royal Guard leader approach them. Alphys was walking next to her with an uncertain expression – a contrast to the decisive glow in Undyne's eye.

"'sup," Sans greeted, having regained his usual aura that radiated laziness.

Undyne gave him a nod before looking at Papyrus, who was also able to hide his conflicts behind his usual demeanor. He stood upright and saluted.

"UNDYNE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS REPORTING FOR DUTY!"

"how're we gonna do this?" Sans asked. "i mean, maybe we should knock before we storm the castle."

" _Whatever_ you say," the Royal Guard leader said. She strode over to the doorway and gave a few strong knocks on the wall next to it, causing a few cracks to appear.

The group of four spent the next thirty seconds silently standing in front of the doorway, waiting for Asgore, Asriel or Frisk to answer it. But it remained completely quiet in the house, with nothing to indicate that the knocks had been acknowledged. After half a minute had passed, Undyne turned to the others.

"I-I guess they're…in the garden?" Alphys suggested.

Undyne nodded before entering the house. "You're probably right. Come on, let's go."

Alphys followed. The skelebros shared a glance before doing the same.

They all remained silent on their way to the garden. With the knowledge of Frisk and Asgore being near the Barrier, they were reminded of _that_ day. That fateful day that happened nine years ago, when Frisk disappeared and ended up on the Surface. When Asriel returned as himself, telling the Underground about the evil acts committed by his Soulless counterpart. When the hunt for Humans truly came to a halt.

The hunt for Humans was the main reason for the majority of their regrets. Even Papyrus, who would never harm anyone in his life – regardless of whether they were Human or Monster – still felt the weight of his actions. After all, he had been prepared to deliver a Human to Asgore without even trying to find out what the king was going to do to them.

It was when they reached the throne room that the familiar voices of Asgore and Asriel could be heard. They weren't in the throne room itself, though; they seemed to be in the small area behind it, just before the Barrier – the area in which they all woke up after Frisk's battle with Asriel.

The voices sounded…alarmed?

* * *

"Frisk!" the prince called as he kneeled down next to Frisk's unconscious body. The Human's vocal cords were disturbingly inactive compared to a few moments ago.

"Asriel," Asgore said with an alarmed but somewhat controlled tone. "Stay calm. She is still breathing."

"We-we have to get help!" Asriel exclaimed, not taking his eyes off the Human.

"We must get her to Dr. Alphys," the king said. "She will know what to do."

"I-I'm here!" a third voice said.

The two Dreemurrs looked over to see four familiar figures standing in the doorway that lead to the small area they were currently in.

Upon seeing the Human lying on the ground, Alphys' eyes widened and she clasped her hands over her mouth. Sans and Undyne both quickly made their way into the room – both with shocked expressions – followed by a momentarily frozen Papyrus.

"What happened!" Alphys blurted out.

"not now," Sans said. "alphys, do you have anything at your lab that might help?"

"Uh… Y-yeah, p-probably. B-but how do we get there in time?"

"leave that to me."

And with that, the entire group was no longer in New Home.

* * *

 **Alphys' lab, fifteen minutes later**

"She's physically alright as far as I can tell," Alphys softly said, breaking the silence that had been hanging in the air for the past ten minutes. "Mentally…" She looked at the ground. "S-she seems to be in a deep sleep. One that I can't get her out of. I-I think it's some kind of coma or something. Until she wakes up, I-I can't tell how badly her mind is damaged."

Asriel sighed despondently before standing up from his seat and walking over to the stretcher Frisk was lying on, his back turned to the others. He felt his eyes starting to sting when he looked at her, but managed to hold back the tears.

Asgore remained seated and let his head hang, his eyes closed. The skelebros looked at the ground.

"Asgore."

The king looked up when he heard the unexpectedly calm – but nonetheless stern – voice. It was Undyne, who looked at him with a determined expression.

She remained silent, but Asgore knew what she wanted. With a sigh, he stood up.

"Ever since Frisk returned, she has been suffering under the weight of returning memories. Most of these memories are…well…not pleasant, and some of them seem to trigger panic attacks and – in some cases – hallucinations." He looked over to where Frisk was lying. Asriel still stood there. "Today, she had the worst attack yet. It ended mere seconds before you arrived, with Frisk losing consciousness.

"Asriel, Toriel and I have made several attempts to convince her to share this with you. We believed that you may have been able to help her. But she refused, stating that it was her problem. She even admitted that she never intended for us to discover it."

He sighed again. "She told us to remain silent about this. We obeyed… And now, Frisk has to pay the price for our foolishness."

"Yeah," Undyne said. "Look, I'm not trying to rub salt in the wound here or anything, but I agree: you should've told us. I mean, we care about her – we're her friends. Don't you think we're entitled to know about this sort of stuff?"

"You're right," Asriel voiced. His back was still turned to them, so the others couldn't see his face, but his voice revealed the lump that had appeared in his throat. "We should've told you. But we didn't. We messed up. And now…" He fell silent.

"alright, look," Sans cut in. "i suppose we've all learned from this. let's keep it at that."

Before anyone could say anything to that, the double sliding door that separated the lab from the outside opened, revealing a wide-eyed Toriel.


	7. Light

_**TheRealMasonMac:**_ _You'll see.  
_

* * *

 _Chapter seven: Light_

 _Hmm…_ Frisk numbly thought, her eyes closed. _Sweet, sweet silence._

 _…_

 _What am I lying on? This is no bed that I'm used to._

 _Whatever. It's nice._

"You are awake," a gentle voice spoke. Frisk opened her eyes in response, revealing the inside of Alphys' lab.

Yet…

…

Then, she realized something that made her sit up in bed.

This wasn't the same lab she had been in before. Along with it being too quiet, it was…different. Everything – the desk, the monitor, the fridge, even the trash bin – was gone, with the only exception being the stretcher she was sitting on. The lamps on the ceiling were also brighter than she remembered.

Where was everybody? Why did everything look different? For how long had she been asleep?

 _Wait… Asleep!_

 _O-oh, shit… I had a breakdown, didn't I?_

 _I…I can remember the hallucinations…_

 _I must've passed out as a result. But how'd I get here? Did Asriel and Asgore bring me here? Alphys and Undyne probably know about my problems by now. Maybe Sans and Papyrus do too._

 _But that still doesn't answer everything._

"Please remain calm."

She jumped upon hearing the same voice as before, quickly got off the stretcher and turned around to face whoever was with her. Her eyes widened upon seeing a Monster standing at the wall, giving her a seemingly friendly grin.

The Monster was tall, and the majority of his body was covered by a long, black robe. His face and hands appeared skeletal-ish. His eyes had white pinpricks as pupils, similar to Sans', and his mouth seemed to lack teeth. His skull had two deep, dark cracks. One originated from his right eye socket and lead to the back of his head. The other one connected his left eye socket with his mouth – which seemed to have the shape of a permanent grin. His hands had holes in them that lead from their palms directly to their backs.

Frisk froze. For some reason, this person reminded her of Sans and Papyrus. Yet…

"Please," the Monster said. "I mean you no harm."

"That's what they all say," Frisk negated. "Who are you? And where's Alphys?!"

"All your questions will be answered. Your friends and family are safe. The Entity has no intention of attacking them."

"I want to talk to them," the Human fiercely demanded.

"I fear that may not be an option."

"And why's that?!"

The figure tilted his head. "I believe it would be better if I showed you."

"Showed me wh—"

Frisk fell silent when the room suddenly changed before her eyes. The furniture she was used to seeing reappeared, along with a few extra chairs. She almost gasped when a large group of familiar people appeared right after.

The first person she saw was Asgore, who was sitting on one of the chairs, hunched over with his head in his hands. His breathing was shaky, and the way he had grasped his hair made him look rather unhappy.

In fact, the atmosphere in the entire room was sad and depressing. The skelebros sat next to one another, with Papyrus trying to hold back his tears. Sans spoke to him in a reassuring voice, but even he seemed to be affected by whatever had happened.

Something similar was happening between Alphys and Undyne, with the former worriedly looking towards the stretcher Frisk had lied on mere moments ago, and the latter saying calming words and holding Alphys close.

Lastly, there were Asriel and Toriel, who were standing right next to the stretcher. Toriel's shoulders were shaking. Her son was trying to console her, but it didn't seem to be very effective. Asriel himself didn't appear to be exactly at his most joyful, either.

"Guys?" Frisk asked. "What's going on?"

There was no reaction from anyone in the room. No one even blinked or looked her way. It felt odd: Frisk was right there, yet she felt a great distance between her and her friends.

And there was something going on with that stretcher…

Having forgotten about the unidentified Monster from before, she hesitantly walked over to where Toriel and Asriel stood. When she got close – still receiving no response from the others – she cautiously looked past them to see someone lying on the stretcher.

Her eyes widened when she recognized this person.

It was her. Unconscious.

She stood there for a second, staring at her sleeping clone. Then, she took a step backwards. She felt dazed.

"Do you understand?"

Frisk looked to her right, where the voice came from, to see the unidentified Monster standing there with his eternal grin still plastered on his face. She felt her breath silently leave her lungs.

"Whuh…wha…what did you do…!" she yelled. "Who are you!"

"I understand that this may be disturbing," the Monster said, "but I assure you that no harm will come to you."

"Why can't they hear me?!"

"Because you are not physically with them."

"What's that mean?" Frisk asked.

The shapes of the furniture and her friends vanished, leaving her back at the version of the lab she had woken up in. The unidentified Monster gestured with his hand to the double sliding door, which opened seemingly by itself.

"Walk with me, and I will explain everything."

The Human hesitated. So far, this Monster hadn't made any attempts to hurt her, but she still didn't trust him. But did she have a choice? How else was she going to get out of wherever she was? This guy was her only chance of returning home.

She let out an exasperated sigh before walking to the door. "Fine."

Once outside, she was met with an unfamiliar air. The local area looked exactly like the Hotland she remembered, but the temperature wasn't any higher when compared to the inside of the lab she was just in. It was surprisingly pleasant, not too warm or too cold, despite the magma.

To her left, the unidentified Monster was walking with her. No one else was in sight, making Frisk wonder if this was just another vivid hallucination. The presence of the Monster wasn't as distorted as what she had seen during her usual breakdown, however. If anything, it was…serene.

It seemed like quite the opposite of what she went through during her panic attacks.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the Monster said. "My name is WingDings Gaster. I was the Royal Scientist prior to Dr. Alphys before my ostensible death. Now, since I am obviously alive, one could say I am a…paradox."

Frisk remained silent, causing Gaster to chuckle.

"Forgive me," he said, "I am getting ahead of myself – a flaw that has been recurring in recent times. Allow me to explain the details.

"My 'demise' occurred during an experiment I was working on at the time. It failed, causing me to be…divided into two separate entities." He seemed to hesitate before continuing. "Regardless of that, I somehow lived on in this incorporeal form, still marveling at how my Soul had copied itself for those two entities.

"However, I came to realize that I was not alone in this world. At least one other being has made its presence known. This being has suffered…corruption."

"Corruption?" Frisk asked. "You mean, like, Anakin Skywalker?"

"I fear I am not the most informed individual on the area of this…Anakin Skywalker. But with corruption, I mean that it has…become malevolent. During the darker times of the Underground – Asgore's war against Humanity, the Flower's misdeeds and power abuse, the general hate for Humans that rose after Asriel's demise – this being, the Entity, was influenced in the most negative way possible. One could say it was…assimilated by the darkness."

"O…kay?" Frisk hesitated. "And, uh, where do I come in?"

"The Entity – whose existence is as impossible and paradoxical as my own – has been corrupted beyond reasoning," Gaster explained. "It…has some sort of antagonism towards you."

"It hates me," Frisk summarized. The Royal Scientist nodded.

"It disrelishes the sight of you as a friend among the Monsters. Its own life was difficult, and it has lost the ability to understand why you deserve it."

"So…?"

"So it uses its determination to harm you."

Frisk stopped walking. She fully turned to Gaster.

"What?"

Gaster stood still as well before facing the Human.

"The Entity is the being responsible for both your amnesia and your breakdowns. I am battling it to gain power over your memories, but its determination gives it an advantage. An enormous advantage."

"What do you mean, 'gain power over my memories'?!" Frisk asked. "These panic attacks are caused by my memories coming back, aren't they?"

"Yes and no," Gaster responded after a brief silence. "Dr. Alphys' hypothesis was wrong: your amnesia was never a side-effect of passing the Barrier. It was Asriel who allowed you to return to the Surface, but the Entity was responsible for your memory loss. Your return to the Underground angered it, causing it to return your memory in the most violent and malicious way possible."

"How does that even work? How can it make my memories trigger breakdowns?"

"Advanced magic. Possibly the same magic that allows me and the Entity to exist in this time and space, while we actually should not."

"So…what do _you_ do when you gain power over my memories?"

"I return them to you in a much calmer manner."

"Why're you helping me?"

Gaster hesitated again.

Then, he sighed.

"Sans and Papyrus," he said. "I am still connected to them."


	8. Beginning the pursuit

_Chapter eight: Beginning the pursuit_

It was silent in the lab. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft voices of Undyne and Alphys, and the occasional quiet sob from one of the Dreemurrs. Sans and Papyrus had stopped talking, and were anxiously waiting for whatever was going to happen next.

Little did anyone know that Papyrus' thoughts were anything _but_ silent, instead being entangled in a raging conflict with himself – a battle between two opposing sides.

One side tried to convince him to tell his friends the truth about him and his brother. With Gaster's reappearances and Frisk's breakdowns, there could be a connection. Maybe Gaster could help, or maybe he was the one responsible for all this. But neither Sans nor Papyrus were sure if they had the bravery to contact their former self. So what better idea was there than to tell the others? Maybe _they_ were willing to talk to the ghost.

The other side wanted him to shut up about it. The connection between Frisk and Gaster was mere speculation, and probably not worth telling the others his secret for. Not worth telling them _Sans'_ secret for. How would the others look at the skelebros, knowing that they were the two halves of a seemingly dead Royal Scientist? And even if they would contact Gaster, why would he help them? _How_ would he help them?

Eventually, one side gained the upper hand.

Papyrus looked at Sans, who was motionlessly sitting next to him.

"SANS," he whispered.

The shorter skeleton looked at him.

Papyrus hesitated, but then spoke again, making sure to keep his voice down. "MAYBE WE SHOULD TELL THEM ABOUT GASTER."

Sans' eye sockets grew a bit wider for a moment. He then sighed and looked down.

"so you connected the dots too, huh?" he mumbled. "ya think gaster's involved in all this?"

"I DON'T KNOW. BUT GASTER RETURNED RIGHT BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. YOU THINK THAT'S A COINCIDENCE?"

"i _think_ that telling the others might not be as harmful as it seems. they'll probably be shaken, but if we're right and gaster's got something to do with frisk's situation, i'd say we have to come clean."

"WHAT IF WE'RE WRONG?"

"then we're wrong and the others will know a fun fact about our origins." Sans looked his brother in the eyes. "i'm willing to take the risk. what about you?"

Papyrus swallowed and hesitated. Then, he silently nodded.

Sans let out a joyless chuckle as he stood up. "well then, let's tell our friends about how we're the two halves of a dead scientist."

The taller skeleton stood up as well, only to be stopped by the shorter one, who looked at him with a pitying expression.

"look, bro…i got this. you don't need to worry—"

"SANS…" Papyrus softly interrupted. "I APPRECIATE YOUR WORRY… BUT LIKE BEFORE, I NEED TO DO THIS. I'LL EVEN DO THE TALKING IF YOU WANT ME TO."

"we should do it together."

"OKAY."

A brief silence occurred. Undyne and Alphys had noticed the skelebros standing up from their seats, but the Dreemurrs only looked their way when Sans started talking.

"everyone," he said. He paused before continuing to make sure the others had their attention on him. "there's something paps and i should tell you about."

All eyes in the room (except for Frisk's) were now looking at the skeleton duo. Papyrus swallowed.

"Is it connected to Frisk's current situation?" the king asked. He had obviously been crying, albeit silently, as evident by his quivering voice and slightly reddened eyes.

"it might be," Sans replied. "we're not sure."

Another brief silence. Asriel, who had also been crying, broke it. "Go ahead," he said.

The skelebros shared a glance.

"IT'S ABOUT DR. ALPHYS' PREDECESSOR," Papyrus began. "THE ROYAL SCIENTIST WHO BUILT THE CORE."

"Dr. WingDings Gaster," Asgore said. Sans nodded.

"everyone says he died when an experiment went wrong," the short skeleton said. "but we're not sure if that's entirely true."

"W-what do you mean?" Alphys asked.

"WELL…WHAT IF WE TOLD YOU THAT DR. GASTER'S FAILED EXPERIMENT SPLIT HIS BODY INTO TWO SEPARATE, AMORPHOUS…THINGS, EACH WITH THEIR OWN SOUL?"

"eventually, one of those things took a solid form. the other one followed soon after. the gaster everyone knew was gone, but he left his…legacy."

"Stop there," Undyne intervened. "I'm no genius, but I'm pretty sure that copying a Soul isn't possible."

Sans almost gave the Royal Guard leader a glare. He was about to come up with a retort, but was stopped by Papyrus' calming hand on his shoulder. He looked at his younger, taller brother, who continued speaking.

"IT HAPPENED," he said. "WE'RE NOT SURE HOW, BUT IT HAPPENED."

"How do you know this?" Asgore asked.

Sans looked at him. "this is where things get weird."

"Things already got weird," Undyne said.

"Wait," Asriel suddenly spoke, "two separate entities? Each with their own Soul…" He incredulously looked at Sans and Papyrus. "You two…?"

The skelebros nodded.

Asriel looked at Sans. "Sans…were you the first one to take a permanent form? Is that why you're older than Papyrus?"

Sans sighed. At least he and Papyrus didn't have to tell it themselves. It wasn't the easiest thing to talk about, let alone reveal to their friends. They were the residues of what used to be a popular and brilliant person. It was comparable to someone finding out they are a clone of a long-lost celebrity… Or something like that.

"yes," he said. "i was. papyrus appeared just a few minutes later."

"JUST AFTER GASTER'S…'DEATH'…SANS AND I HAD…EXPERIENCES." Papyrus briefly glanced at the motionless Frisk. "SOME OF HIS MEMORIES RESURFACED. THEY WERE MOSTLY JUST VAGUE FLASHES, THOUGH."

"that's not all." Sans looked around the silenced room, preparing to bring up another subject he didn't usually discuss with anyone. "we believe gaster's still alive, somehow."

"After he turned into you two?" Undyne asked. "How does that… Never mind, dumb question."

"Why do you think he's alive?" Alphys asked.

Papyrus audibly inhaled, definitely not comfortable with what he was about to say. "YEARS AGO, LONG BEFORE FRISK ENTERED THE UNDERGROUND, WE'D BEEN HEARING A VOICE. WE'D BEEN HAVING ODD DREAMS. MEMORY SPARKS THAT SEEMED…UNNATURAL."

"the voice we heard was the same voice we sometimes caught in those memory sparks," Sans continued. "and in the dreams, we would sometimes see a tall, skeletal person in a black robe."

That made Toriel and Asgore share a glance. Alphys, Undyne and Asriel just stood frozen, shocked at what the skeleton brothers had told them. When the silence was broken, it was done so by the king.

"That is indeed what Dr. Gaster looked like," he said. "A tall skeleton-like fellow, usually in black clothing." He looked at Sans. "One thing seems odd to me, however."

"what's that?" the skeleton asked.

Asgore tilted his head a bit. "I remember WingDings as one of the most polite people I have ever met. He was brilliant, but while his research was important to him, he valued friends more than his scientific projects. So… Why would he haunt you?"

Yet another silence, torn apart by Papyrus.

"I…I AM NOT A SCHOLAR…BUT WHAT IF GASTER'S CURRENT STATE OF BEING SOMEHOW…CHANGED HIM? OR…HE WAS JUST TRYING TO…COMMUNICATE?"

"Either way, where're you going with this?" the Royal Guard leader asked. "What does this Gaster have to do with Frisk's problems?"

Sans looked at the ground and sighed. "the hauntings eventually stopped. paps and i haven't heard of the guy for a pretty long time now, and we wanted to keep it that way." He let out another humorless chuckle. "unfortunately for us, gaster had other plans."

"He has…returned?" Asgore asked. "What happened? And when?"

"not long ago. point is, we already suspected that something was up with frisk. gaster somehow tried to make me go to him, 'cause he apparently needed my help with something." He glanced at Asriel. "second time this happened was at grillby's."

Asriel nodded slightly, remembering the sudden anxiety Sans had displayed when they were at the restaurant.

"then this happened," Sans continued as he gestured towards Frisk, "and i think i understand a bit more about the whole situation. gaster said that if i went to him, it'd 'allow him to help my friend'." He regretfully looked at the motionless Human. "i guess i should've obeyed."

"I wouldn't say that," Undyne spoke with a hint of sympathy in her voice. "After everything that Gaster guy did, I can see why you didn't listen. 'Sides, maybe _he_ 's the one responsible for all this."

"IN ANY CASE," Papyrus said, "IF GASTER'S GOT SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS, WE SHOULD TALK TO HIM TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH."

"How're you going to do that?"

"if gaster can talk to us, there might be a way for us to talk to him," Sans said. "papyrus and i are still him, in a way. if we tried, i'm pretty sure we could contact our former self." He scratched his head. "i've…kind of done it before. i'll probably be able to do it again. there's just one more problem."

"And I suppose that would be…?"

"Y-you're not sure i-if this'll work?" Alphys asked.

"yes, but that's not what i meant," the short skeleton replied, his pupils having vanished. He and his brother shared another look.

"I…I THINK SANS MEANS THAT MEETING GASTER WILL BE…DIFFICULT FOR US," Papyrus said.

"yeah… i don't think i have the _guts_ to meet him."

"Understandable," Asgore said. "But what other choice do we have?"

Papyrus looked around the room. "WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO…SEND…SOMEONE ELSE TO HIM."

"We can talk to him in person?" Undyne asked. "Good. I'm in."

"it's not that easy," Sans said. "assuming that this'll work at all, i don't know how many people we can…'send'. we can 'send' ourselves, but we're only two people."

"I-if that's the case," Alphys spoke up, "y-you'll probably be able to send _one_ person who doesn't have a connection to Gaster. I-I mean, It's just a hypothesis, but…" She shrugged.

"Well then," Undyne said, "I'll go. I'll fight Gaster if I have to, but you know I'll get Frisk out of this mess one way or another."

"of course i do, but i don't think you can fight gaster like he's just another enemy," Sans said.

"Undyne," Asgore spoke, "I appreciate your selflessness, but Tori and I are her guardians. And…well…" He hesitated for a bit. "Given that I still need to…redeem myself for my misdeeds and genocidal plans, I am more than willing to go. I have known WingDings personally, so I might be able to talk my way through."

"N-no! I-I can go!" Alphys said with surprisingly much conviction, despite her stuttering. "I-I have things to redeem myself for too, and maybe I can talk to Dr. Gaster? You know, Royal Scientist to Royal Scientist?"

"You are needed here, Alphys," Toriel softly said. "I have failed to protect too many children. Frisk included. And simply sitting here, waiting for her to return… I cannot do that."

"None of us can," Asriel said. "Look…"

"Asriel…" Asgore spoke.

"No, hear me out. Frisk is my friend too. As Flowey, I've made a bigger mess of things than anyone here. Granted, it wasn't really me, but still. I know a thing or two about nightmares of the past. I can help her."

"We cannot risk losing you again."

"You won't lose me again."

"No, Asgore is right," Toriel said.

"What about me, then?!" Undyne voiced. "Why can't I go?"

"No, it is best if I go," Asgore said.

"Asgore," Toriel cut in, "Frisk still sees you as family. It has only been three weeks, but she regards you as her kin – no matter what you do or what you have done in the past. I have seen it."

"Tori…"

As the others continued arguing, Sans and Papyrus were having a conversation of their own.

"who do you think should go?"

"I…I'M NOT SURE. THEY'RE ALL GOOD CANDIDATES."

Sans sighed and despondently closed his eyes. "that's what i was about to say."

He thought back to his conversation with Asriel in Snowdin.

He hesitated.

Then, he made a choice.

* * *

After having calmed the group down, Sans ordered Alphys to get another stretcher. As the Royal Scientist left the room, the skeleton looked at Asriel, who was talking to his obviously worried parents. Sans almost came to regret his decision when he saw said parents' faces, but Papyrus put a hand on his shoulder.

"DON'T WORRY, SANS," he said. "I'M SURE ASRIEL WILL DO THE JOB."

Sans sighed. "i'm just sorry that i can't go there myself."

"I KNOW. BUT PERSONALLY, I THINK ASRIEL'S THE BEST CHOICE."

"why's that? 'cause i just happen to be havin' second thoughts."

"ASRIEL IS FRISK'S FRIEND, AND THE CLOSEST THING SHE HAS TO A BROTHER. TORIEL WOULD POSSIBLY BE TOO AGGRESSIVE TO SAVE HER CHILD, AND ASGORE MAY BE TOO MILD. I THINK ASRIEL'S THE PERFECT COMPROMISE."

"i guess…that's one way to look at it."

Alphys reentered the room with a stretcher. "I got it!"

"good," Sans said. "asriel?"

"I'll be right with you," the prince replied. He turned back to his parents.

Toriel's eyes were still red, but she managed to show a small, encouraging smile. "Y-you be good," she softly spoke. "My son."

Asgore looked at the ground and sighed. "Asriel, I…I wish you good luck. And please, just…" He fell silent.

"Thank you, Dad," Asriel said, before suddenly giving both his parents a hug. "I-I'll be alright. That's a promise."

He then walked over to the stretcher. He lay down, looking at his parents and giving a smile of his own. The skeleton brothers approached him.

"you ready?" Sans hesitantly asked. The prince nodded.

Sans looked at his brother. "paps?"

"I'M WITH YOU, SANS," Papyrus replied.

From there, Asriel remembered very little as his consciousness left him.


	9. Yet darker

_Chapter nine: Yet darker_

Asriel was awake. His eyes were closed and he was still motionlessly lying on the stretcher, but he was awake. The lack of sound around him was unsettling; he had at least expected to hear the voices of his friends or family, some of Alphys' equipment or…anything, really.

He opened his eyes, and felt a wave of confusion go through him when he saw his surroundings. He was alone. Even better, he wasn't in Alphys' lab at all. The bright light and high ceiling had been replaced by a much smaller room. He was no longer on the stretcher, instead lying on a familiar bed. The only light source was a lamp near said bed, which illuminated the entire room in a soft, peaceful glow.

 _This is my and Frisk's bedroom,_ he thought as he sat up. _How did I get here? It feels like I was only out for a few seconds._

He flinched when the door to the bedroom opened, revealing the silhouette of a humanoid figure. With the small amount of light present, Asriel could see that the figure's shape looked like that of a slender teenage Human girl, not unlike Frisk.

Asriel quickly got up from his bed and looked at the figure, slightly nervous. "Frisk?"

The figure's face was barely visible, but Asriel could see that she was giving him a weird look. "Who's this now?"

The prince blinked. "What?"

"Who's frisking?" the figure asked as she took a step into the room, allowing the light to reveal her features.

Asriel gasped.

She looked older than she did all those years ago, but he still recognized her. Those bright red eyes could only belong to one person. Her hair had grown past her shoulders, but it still had that same brown color. Even her clothing was similar: a green t-shirt with a single horizontal yellow stripe on it, brown pants and shoes.

At first, Asriel just sat there, gaping at the person. She stared back, giving him a questioning and weirded out look. Then, the prince momentarily regained his voice, allowing him to utter one word – or a name, rather.

"Ch…Chara?"

The figure blinked. "Asriel? You alright?"

Chara walked over to the small cupboard in the room, and picked up the phone that was lying on it, still waiting for her brother to reply. When he didn't, she turned back to him.

"What?" she asked, annoyed. "You going to get breakfast or what? Mom and Dad worked hard on it, it would be a shame to just leave it there."

"Wha…" Asriel stammered. "Chara, I…"

"What's wrong with you today? What, you had a bad dream?" Chara asked in a mocking voice. "You need Mom to give you a hug? 'Cause I'm not going to do that."

"…no…" Asriel said after a pause. "Uh, of course not."

"Good." She went back to the door. When he didn't move, she turned back to him again. "You coming?"

"Y-yeah."

* * *

Asriel followed Chara into the dining room – still not believing what he was seeing – and heard another familiar voice greet him.

"Good morning, Asriel," Toriel smiled as she sat down at the table.

 _Mom?_ Asriel thought. _What're you doing here?_

"Yeah. Uh, morning," he responded.

"Howdy!" Asgore called as he appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, carrying a bunch of plates with food. "Ah, I am glad to see that Asriel has joined us. Who would like some breakfast?"

Chara lazily sat down on her chair. "I won't say no to that."

Asgore chuckled and gave both her and Toriel their respective plates, after which he turned to Asriel, who was still standing near the doorway. The king's smile dropped upon seeing his son's frown.

"Asriel?"

Asriel snapped out of his trance. "Huh?"

"Are you all right?"

The prince hesitated. He was definitely not alright, but if he were to say that to Asgore – or whoever this was – his situation would most likely not improve.

He silently nodded and took his seat, looking down to avoid the inspective gazes from his family members. At the moment, he was not sure if he would be able to look into their worried eyes. He just needed to think…

And maybe investigate…

Whatever Sans and Papyrus had done, it had transferred his consciousness into wherever Gaster was. He didn't know anything about the former Royal Scientist or his location, so this all might very well be an elaborate illusion, generated by…something. Powerful magic, perhaps? He wouldn't be surprised if Gaster had somehow come to know complicated tricks like this.

 _I'll have to break the illusion_ , Asriel thought. _It's the only way to find Frisk._

He barely moved when Asgore quietly put a plate with food in front of him on the table. The king himself took a seat and a plate of his own, and looked at Toriel and Chara, who shrugged. He looked back at Asriel and hesitated.

He eventually made the decision to remain silent about the matter, and exclaimed that everyone enjoy their meal. And so everyone did, with one exception.

Asriel's mind barely registered any of it. It wasn't that he didn't want it to: the food was great as always, but his head was filled to the brink with thoughts, questions, theories, possible solutions…

…doubts…

He put his cutlery down and stood up, once again drawing the attention of his family members. He made sure not to meet any of their gazes and awkwardly scratched his head, forcing himself to make a good excuse quickly.

"I, ah…" he began, "I just…need some fresh air. Yeah, I'm going to…get some fresh air. Uh… Later."

He walked out of the room, not listening to the questions and worried exclamations that the others threw at him. He immediately went to the front doorway and left the building in a state of confusion, fear and shock, which despite the fresh air remained present as he walked through the streets of New Home.

"Asriel!"

He turned around and saw that Chara had chased after him, coming to a stop once she reached him. She frowned at him and threw her hands up.

"Asriel, seriously! What's wrong with you today! Why do you look at me and Mom and Dad like we're a collection of miracles? What's this all about?!"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," the prince retorted. His voice allowed his frustration to shine through, and he suddenly realized how much rage he held. "What _is_ happening?! Why is this all the way it is?! _Where_ is this?!" He looked at Chara. " _Why are you here_!"

Startled, Chara flinched and took a step backwards. Her eyes were wide and her hands raised in a defensive manner. "Whoa…what…?"

Asriel felt all the anger he had been building up since his resurrection break free from its bonds, and he threateningly took a step towards his sister. He was taller than her (one of the perks of being a Boss Monster), and his usually peaceful face was contorted into an intimidating glare.

"I died!" he yelled in her face. "I died _with you_! I spent the majority of my life as a psychopath – as a…a _megalomaniac_! And then _she_ saved me! Frisk! It took me years to get over your loss, and even then – even _now_ …

"And here you are, like nothing ever happened, saying that _I_ have to explain what's wrong with _me_! You want to explain to me how _you_ came back from the dead, Chara?! _Do you_?!"

Chara looked back at him, frozen in fear. She never expected to be scared of Asriel, of all people. Asriel. Soft, friendly, selfless, patient Asriel. Her brother. She had known him for years, but she never saw him like _this_. His face was red, his eyes were starting to water.

Despite his anger clouding his mind, Asriel sensed that something else was…off. He had sensed it when he left the castle, but had been unable to place his finger on it. He looked around as if searching for answers.

Then, he saw it.

"Where're all the people?" he asked. His voice was softer and had started to quiver, his facial expression had turned from furious to nervous.

Chara looked around the empty streets and houses. She tensed up before letting out a despondent sigh. "Shit…I messed up."

Asriel turned back to her. "What?"

"Alright," Chara said, "you got me." She gestured towards Asgore's castle. "Come back with me to the castle. I'll explain everything there."

The prince was hesitant, but he obeyed.

* * *

Reaching the castle didn't take long, but the awful silence that hung in the air during the walk was unpleasant. Asriel really didn't know what to think of the situation: it looked like Chara was back, but she seemed to have secrets that went deeper than what could be perceived at first glance.

The prince had a lot of questions, but he didn't dare ask them at that moment. Chara said she'd explain everything in the castle, so Asriel decided that he should be patient and wait until they reached their destination. He might not get any answers otherwise.

Once they entered the house, Asriel followed Chara back to the dining room, where the latter sat down at the table. Toriel and Asgore were nowhere in sight.

Chara gestured to the chair across from her. "Have a seat, Asriel."

The prince shook his head, causing the Human to sigh.

"Look," Chara spoke, "I'm not going to try anything. Just sit down, and I'll tell you all about where you are. I'll tell you where Frisk is, how Gaster fits into all of this… You're free to ask away."

Not without reluctance, Asriel decided to obey once again and sit down after a brief moment of hesitation. Once seated, he looked at Chara and spoke with a restrained voice.

"Where are we?"

"That's kind of a tough question," Chara said, "but I'll do my best to answer it." She leaned back in her chair. "After we died, I somehow found myself…here. It's some kind of…other world. I should be dead, but I'm not – even though I don't have a physical body. I still don't fully understand how it works." She spread her arms. "This all is just one way for the world to manifest itself, and it's the manifestation I chose to welcome you."

"To 'welcome' me?" Asriel said. "I'm pretty sure I should be talking to a former Royal Scientist now."

Chara let out a chuckle – something Asriel wouldn't necessarily expect from someone he'd lost for such a long time – and put a hand on her heart. "You wound me, brother," she said in an overly dramatic voice. "But to answer your implied question: I got to you before you got to Gaster."

"What do you mean?"

"When those two skeletons sent you to him, I intercepted you and brought you to my own part of this world."

"You intercepted me? How's that possible? Sans and Papyrus have a direct connection to Gaster—"

"Yes, they do. And if they'd gone to Gaster themselves, I wouldn't've been able to stop them. You, however…" She pointed to her brother. "Since you don't have a direct connection to that old scientist, bringing you here before you got to him was easy enough. He doesn't have my determination, you see."

Asriel felt a brief drop in temperature when determination was brought up. It reminded him of Flowey. The prince still remembered how he abused the power for his own sadistic adventures.

"So…where's Frisk?" he asked.

"Frisk's with Gaster."

"And where's Gaster?"

"Out of your reach."

"Well then, can you help me get Frisk back?"

Chara shook her head. "I'm sorry, but that's a no. It's not that easy."

The young goat man frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Asriel…" The Human's relaxed position made place for a more formal one, as she leaned forward, folded her hands and put them on the table. "When Dad declared war on Humanity, I was there. When Mom left him, when he killed those other six Humans, when the Royal Guard specialized in killing Humans… I saw it all happen.

"Then Frisk came. The little pacifist never killed or hurt anyone. She was the only one powerful enough to give the Monsters hope, and she's responsible for your resurrection. You even made her part of the family – and _that's_ where it stings… Because at the end of the day, it wasn't Frisk herself, but her _power_ – her _determination_ – that forged the friendship between her and the Monsters of the Underground."

She cracked her neck. "You see? Like Frisk, those other Humans didn't hurt anyone, yet they died because they had less determination – something that's largely beyond their control. How fair is it then that Frisk is the one to join the family? Aside from her Soul, how is she any different from those others?"

"Where're you going with this? And since when do you care so much about Humans?" Asriel suspiciously asked.

"Eh," Chara modestly said, another humorous smile appearing on her face. "Guess it's part of being incorporeal." She looked her brother straight in the eye.

Asriel nodded, but his face displayed a skeptic look. "Uh-huh, sure. Chara, do you know how long I've been hiding my pain after Frisk saved me?"

"Enlighten me."

"Long. And I can see that you're going through the same."

The Human's smile dropped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're in pain," the prince said. "And I think I know why. It hurt you, didn't it? Seeing Dad like that – seeing him kill those Humans. It's not easy to accept that our father's got innocent blood on his hands. That's why you're saying Frisk doesn't deserve to be part of the family: because you don't want to blame Dad, you blame _her_.

"But neither of them are the bad guy. Dad regrets what he did greatly, and I don't hate him. He's doing whatever he can to redeem himself now. There's no one you have to blame, Chara."

"Honestly, I don't think that Dad's declaration of war was a bad idea," Chara said without blinking. "I _do_ think that Frisk shouldn't've intervened."

Asriel froze upon hearing that. His eyes widened. "What?!"

Chara was still looking straight into her brother's eye. "How does Frisk have the right to live? Really, how does _any_ Human have the right to live after what they did to Monsterkind? That's the same as letting a royal break the law with no consequence. That kind of royal is _asking_ to be overthrown. And because you all didn't realize that, I've taken matters into my own hands."

A silence fell.

Asriel was shocked. He had always known that his sister wasn't fond of Humanity, but he never expected to hear her say that genocide would be a good thing.

When the prince spoke again, he spoke slowly. "Gaster's not responsible for Frisk's panic attacks, is he?" When Chara didn't answer, he continued. "He never was. But there _was_ something – or someone – pulling the strings."

When Chara remained silent again, Asriel's voice began to quiver again. "D-did you…?"

"Yes," the Human admitted. "But I had a reason, Asriel."

"Why?!" Asriel felt his eyes sting. "What'd Frisk ever do wrong?!"

"I just explained that," Chara said with forced calmness. "She doesn't deserve to live. She should've died like those other Humans."

"How could you say that?!"

"If she'd died, the Barrier would've been broken and Dad's war would've begun. But now, because Frisk survived, it's up to me to set things right."

"This isn't 'setting things right', Chara!"

"Monsters should be free. And Frisk messed up Dad's plan by staying alive." She narrowed her eyes. "You had the chance to free Monsterkind twice. And both times, you refused. It's your fault that Monsters have been suffering for so long."

That struck Asriel like an arrow. His eyes widened and his voice was momentarily gone. He was almost choking on the pain Chara had sent his way.

Even when he found his voice back, the air he sent through his vocal cords hurt him. "I…I couldn't just let you kill those Humans… And I was scared that, maybe, Humans and Monsters weren't ready to coexist. That's why I left the Barrier the way it was."

"So you sent Frisk home and left everyone else to rot," Chara coldly said. "That's typically you. Too scared to act, even when carrying the fate of the Underground. I'm sure you're proud of yourself: you've sealed the fate of Monsterkind while you could've changed it."

Asriel felt tears in his eyes. There was a lump in his throat. "Y-you…you need…to stop."

"No," Chara spat. " _You_ need a _spine_."

* * *

"What happened just now?!" Frisk asked to the former Royal Scientist. "You just disappeared into thin air and… Well, you left."

Gaster sighed despondently. "I failed."

"What do you mean, you failed? We're both still here, aren't we?"

Gaster looked at her. "Another person was about to join us. Sans and Papyrus had made an attempt to send them to me, but…"

"But…?"

He sighed again. "The Entity. It took the person away, to its own part of the world."

"How's that possible?" Frisk asked. "If Sans and Papyrus can contact you with no problem…"

"Sans and Papyrus have a direct link to me, making them untouchable for the Entity should they attempt to contact me themselves. However, if they were to send someone else…"

"…that someone wouldn't be so immune," Frisk realized. Gaster nodded.

"The Entity has taken them from their path towards me," he said. "It has brought them to its domain. There is nothing I can do to help the victim."

"Who'd they send?" the Human asked, suddenly feeling a sense of fear rise in her gut. "Dr. Gaster, who did they send? Who did the Entity take away?"

The Royal Scientist hesitated, conflicting with himself whether or not he should answer that question. He was also unsure about whether or not he should tell Frisk the truth behind the Entity. He realized that, regardless of the choices he would make, the weight on the young Human's mind would increase.

 _But_ , he knew, _uncertainty is more unpleasant than unpleasant certainty_.

He made his decision. Keeping secrets would only make things worse.

He was going to tell her everything.

* * *

 **You know, I've heard quite a bit about those people who instantly get enraged once Chara is revealed to be the antagonist of a story. To those people, I will say the following…**

 **Remember what Gaster said in previous chapters? The Entity (Chara, obviously) was 'assimilated' by the dark events of the Underground, meaning that she's been corrupted by what the people of the Underground have done. Therefore, it's not (entirely) her fault that she has become malevolent. If that's not good enough for you…well, I'm sorry.**


	10. A decision to make

_Chapter ten: A decision to make_

"Chara…" Asriel softly spoke after a long silence.

"No," Chara curtly said. "Shut up."

"Do you remember us all those years ago?" Asriel asked. "You remember those days? Our family?"

The Human gave him an annoyed look. "Really? You think I'm so soft that reminding me of the past will change my mind?"

"Remember that time when I put Dad's crown on my head? Or, well… Heh… I tried to. The thing was a bit too heavy for me."

"Are you done?" Chara asked. Then, without waiting for a reply, she stood up. "Stay here. I gotta do something."

She walked out of the room.

Asriel felt his eyes sting again.

* * *

 **The manifestation of the lab**

"So, this Entity," Frisk said, "is…Chara? Asriel's late sister?"

Gaster nodded. "Yes. Chara's experience with Humanity is not the best. Since her corruption, her hate for Humans has only increased. This is one of the primary factors that caused her to attack you."

"And now she's got Asriel captured," the Human said. "We've got to help him."

"There is nothing I can do," Gaster regretfully sighed. "Chara is too powerful, and Asriel is being held in the very heart of her domain."

"Chara uses her determination to keep him there, right?"

"…yes, she does." The Royal Scientist tilted his head and narrowed his eye sockets. "What are you planning…?"

"How much determination do I have compared to her?"

"Frisk, I respect your attempt to forge a plan to save Asriel, but—"

"How. Much?"

Gaster hesitated.

"Look," Frisk said, "what else can we do? This is Asriel we're talking about."

Gaster sighed again. "I suppose. And it appears that your Soul has begun to produce more determination. But this is still not without hazards – especially since Chara's determination virtually rivals yours at the moment."

"That doesn't matter," Frisk negated. "We've gotta do something. Where do I begin?"

"Very well," Gaster admitted. "I will assist you. Your first objective is mere seconds away."

"Where?"

"Here." The tall Monster turned his gaze to the double sliding door.

For a second, nothing happened. Frisk almost began to believe that the scientist was lying. He didn't want her to go, that much was obvious: during his explanations, he revealed to her that Sans and Papyrus' fondness for her had been carried over to him through his connection with the two skeletons. This was why he had regarded her as a friend even before they met. And like Sans and Papyrus, he'd want her to be safe.

But then, the double door opened. In the doorway stood a figure.

It was a Human girl – or a young woman, rather. She seemed to be somewhere around Frisk's age. Her eyes had the color of blood. Her hair, pants and shoes were brown, her t-shirt was green with a single stripe of yellow. She stood there, slightly slumped, her arms crossed. When the doors were open, she gave a smile that didn't seem too friendly.

"Chara," Gaster said with no emotion visible. "Why are you here?"

"Come on, Doc," Chara smugly replied. "Is that how you greet an old friend?"

"At the most recent instance where I offered you help, you reacted as if I insulted you beyond forgiveness. How come a mysterious amity has suddenly appeared between us without my awareness?"

Frisk looked at him. "You're just going to let her waltz in here?"

"You better," Chara said. "I have some info I'd like to share."

"What sort of information?" Gaster asked.

"The magic spell that allows ghosts to age?" Frisk scoffed, crossing her arms.

Chara narrowed her eyes at her. "Since when am _I_ the villain in this story? _You_ stole _my_ family, remember?"

"What do you mean, I 'stole your family'? They accepted me."

"Sure, blame this on them."

"Is that why you hate me?" Frisk angrily asked. "Because you don't like seeing me as part of the Dreemurr family?"

"You're no Dreemurr. You're just desperate for friends."

"Is that so?! And how are you any different?!"

That turned Chara's face into a glare. She took a threatening step towards Frisk – who stubbornly stood her ground – but was interrupted by Gaster.

"Enough, both of you!" the Royal Scientist commanded with an unusually authoritative voice. "Chara, it is my belief that _you_ should be careful. Despite your power, I can still remove you from my domain by force. Now, the two of you will cease your fighting so we can talk."

"Talk? With _her_?" Chara sneered.

"Funny," Frisk calmly but venomously said. "I was about to say the same thing."

"Silence, both of you!" Gaster demanded. "Chara, inform us of whatever you are here to inform us of and depart. The sooner our business here is concluded, the better."

The Entity sighed. "Fine." She looked at Frisk again. "I've got Asriel in my domain."

"Yeah, we knew that," Frisk said. "What're you going to do to him?"

Seeing Frisk's anger allowed a smirk to appear on Chara's face, but she didn't say anything about it. "As long as you're here in Gaster's place, I can't use your memories against you like I did in the physical world."

"That explains a lot."

"But you should know…" Chara's smirk turned into a grin, "I can keep Asriel here forever."

"You're bluffing," Frisk immediately assumed. "He's still bound to his physical body, isn't he? Just like me. I'm no genius, but he'll have to return to the physical world sooner or later."

"Hear me out on this one~," Chara practically sang with her ever-present smugness making no attempt to hide itself. "If I'd want to keep him here forever, I could kill his body while leaving his mind intact."

The Human's eyes widened. "What?!"

"That's right~. He'll become just like me: a ghost. And when that's the case, I don't think you'll be seeing him as often as you used to."

"Bullshit."

Chara's challenging grin widened slightly, and she turned her head to Gaster. "Is it?"

Gaster sighed and closed his eyes in defeat. "No. Chara could easily do that. And if she does, the chances of Asriel gaining a new physical body are extremely slim."

Upon seeing Frisk's distressed expression, Chara began to laugh. "Ahahahaha! Oh, this is _rich_! You were so sure of yourself a minute ago, and now look at you! Ahaha~… You-you were so determined to 'save' Asriel, and now you know that you can't even get close to him without losing him—"

She wasn't quick enough to react to the hand that grabbed her by the collar. She was also unable to keep Frisk's rage-powered fist from connecting with her face. As a result, Chara fell to the floor, her laughing silenced and her nose bleeding.

For a second, no sound could be heard.

"You think you're in control!" Frisk fumed. "But you're not so great now that you're on the floor, are you?!" She spat on the floor next to her enemy. "I guess ghosts _do_ bleed."

Chara didn't respond at first, still lying on the floor, astonished by what just happened. She had vastly underestimated the strength of Frisk's Soul. The Entity herself was so used to being the most powerful creature in the Underground and the incorporeal world, that she automatically assumed that she was untouchable. But Frisk's ability to harm her had proven that assumption wrong.

Chara glared up at the other Human, who glared back.

"Huh…" she muttered. "Guess I underestimated the power of your Soul… Anyway, that's all I have to say to you. If you don't go back to your physical body, I'll keep Asriel trapped here." Her smirk reappeared. "See ya."

"You're not going anywhere!" Frisk said. But even before she was done talking, Chara's figure faded into nothingness.

The Human turned to Gaster, who looked at her with an incredulous spark in his eyes. "Doc. We gotta do something before Chara traps Asriel here permanently! You going to help me or what?"

"Frisk…" Gaster said. "I…I believe you are unaware of the display of power you just gave."

"What're you talking about?" Frisk asked. "I just punched someone in the face, what's so special about that?"

"In order for a corporeal being to harm an incorporeal one in this world, the former needs to rival the latter in power. You being able to battle Chara implies that the strength your Soul equals – or possibly exceeds – hers. And Chara's Soul is extremely strong.

"I was aware that you were potentially more powerful than Chara, but to exercise such power requires your Soul to produce and hold more determination. There must be something motivating you."

"Asriel's been captured," Frisk said, making no effort to hide her frustration. "I'd say that's a pretty big motivator, right?!"

Gaster's shoulders dropped. "Right. Of course. Forgive me, I…"

"Forget it. We have a prince to save."

* * *

 _A young Asriel was sitting on the throne of the Underground, resting his head against the backrest with eyes closed. Asgore and Toriel weren't home: they had gone to some kind of conference, after making their children promise them that they'd behave. Asriel had agreed without hesitation._

 _He had also seen his chance to sit on the throne. It looked comfortable to him, and it did not disappoint. He just had to make sure Asgore wouldn't see it, since Asriel really didn't know how the old man would react._

 _Suddenly, a familiar voice reached his ears. "Oh, Azzy~."_

 _Startled, the prince opened his eyes to see Chara's 'creepy face' right in front of him. He immediately threw himself backwards against the throne's backrest, his eyes wide._

 _"_ _AHHH!" he screamed, to which Chara's face dropped as she began to roar with laughter._

 _"_ _Ahhhahahaha!" she guffawed. "Ahaha…oh man, that was perfect-ahahahaha…I-I…haha…I can't breath-ahaha!"_

 _"_ _Chara!" Asriel pouted. "That's not funny!"_

 _"_ _No, tha-that wa-hahaha, was_ hilarious _!"_

 _Asriel crossed his arms. "Cha-raaaaa! Stop!"_

 _"_ _O-oh…haha…I-ha…I'm sorry, Azzy, I-I couldn't help myself, it was the, heh, the perfect opportunity."_

* * *

"Shut up!" Chara snapped. "You think I don't know what you're doing?! I'm doing this for _you_ , Asriel!"

Without flinching, Asriel looked back at her with bloodshot eyes, not bothering to dry or stop his tears. "Chara…"

"Shut. Up!"

"Attacking Frisk isn't—"

"Don't tell me what _is_ and what _isn't_ 'right', little man!"

"What do you want, then?" Asriel softly asked.

"I want us to be a family again! You, Mom, Dad, me. And Frisk is standing in the way of that!"

"No…" the prince denied. "Chara, I…" He sighed. "You're still my sister. And you'll always be."

"Yeah? Looks like you've taken someone to replace me. What, you royals only choose the most powerful people as family members?"

"It was Dad's war that—"

"No, Asriel. When're you going to take responsibility? It was because _you_ refused to fight back during our mission. Because of that, Dad started the war. I became a ghost. You became a flower. Those six Humans were killed. At the end of the day, _you_ caused all that to happen."

Asriel flinched mentally, but he wasn't ready to give up just yet. "That doesn't mean Frisk has to suffer like this. Besides, if she'd died, Dad would've wiped out Humanity."

" _Good_!"

"You don't mean that. When're you going to stop, Chara?"

Chara tilted her head. "Stop what?"

"This. When're you done exacting your revenge?"

"Now you sound like Gaster."

"When, Chara?"

The Human cracked her neck. "Not soon."

"Humans deserve to live in peace too. Frisk—"

"That's where you're wrong. Humans aren't like you Monsters. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"That doesn't matter. Everyone deserves a chance." Another tear rolled down Asriel's cheek, but he managed to crack a small, brief smile. "That includes you, Chara. If you let me help you—"

" _Shut up!_ " Chara stood up from her chair.

"No!" Asriel rose from his seat as well, showing his superior height. "No, I won't shut up! You keep saying you want us to be a family, but how do you think Mom and Dad will react if they find out that you're responsible for what Frisk's gone through?!"

"In time, they'll understand!" the Human retorted. "Same goes for you. But Frisk needs to be out of the picture!"

"Why?! What if you were in her position?!"

"Well, I'm not! And I'll never be!"

Asriel sighed and growled. "You're not helping anyone, Chara!"

"I'm helping myself. I'm helping you. In time, you'll—"

"No, I won't 'see' or 'understand' anything! You've changed, Chara – you used to be better than this!"

"I think we can both agree that I was never really the best person in the Underground – or the world, for that matter."

"But you never brought up the subject of…of _this_! You never liked Humanity, but now you're torturing an innocent person."

"I told you, Frisk is _not_ innocent!"

"Well, what do you say she should've done with her power?" the prince asked as he sat down. "Kill everyone and everything in the Underground? She could've done that, you know. But she chose not to."

"That doesn't necessarily make her innocent," Chara negated as she sat down as well.

"You're jealous of her."

The Human narrowed her eyes. "What?"

Asriel remained unfazed by Chara's glare. "That's the real reason why you're doing this. You want Frisk gone because she's practically part of the Dreemurr family now. You don't like seeing her as one of us."

"She isn't one of you!"

"And with that, you proved my point. You deny it because you don't want to know it."

Chara wasn't too happy with that comment, but was unable to retort, knowing it would only support Asriel's argument. Why couldn't this stupid goat see sense?! She was helping him, and while she had expected his initial reactions to be resistant, she didn't know he was _that_ stubborn. It had been too long since they talked, and both of them had gone through obvious changes in that time.

Asriel sighed and closed his eyes in regret. Then, he began to speak.

* * *

 _"_ _Charaaaaa!" young Asriel whined. "Stop!"_

 _Chara giggled as she made another attempt to grab one of Asriel's droopy ears. The prince was able to dodge the move, glaring at his sibling as he did._

 _"_ _Sorry," Chara apologized. She made another lunge, forcing Asriel to dodge again. "They're just so fun to mess with!"_

 _"_ _It's not funny!" Asriel objected._

 _The Human giggled again before finally getting a hold of her brother's right ear. "Yes it is!"_

 _"_ _No! I can't grab_ your _ears, they're too small for that!" The goat boy tried to escape Chara's grasp on his ear, but was not very successful._

 _"_ _Yeah, I know!" Chara grinned._

 _Of course, while she stubbornly refused to let go, she also made sure not to hurt Asriel. She didn't want any pain to be involved._

 _She wasn't going to stop messing with him anytime soon, though. Asriel's ears were too fuzzy to_ not _be messed around with._

* * *

"How long did we fight over that?" Asriel smiled.

Chara remained silent. She now knew that no determination could stop Asriel from reminiscing out loud, so she just let it happen. This wasn't how she'd expected to spend her day, though. She'd thought her brother would be more reasonable than this. She'd expected him to choose his long-lost sibling above Frisk. But in retrospect, she also should've known that he'd be the pacifist who'd try to find a peaceful way to resolve the problems.

But his ways of resolving problems involved making compromises. And that was something Chara wasn't going to do.

Then, she got an idea. It was reckless and probably wouldn't help her, but it'd be a final insult towards Frisk – and therefore worth it. The mere thought made a grin appear on her face.

She looked at Asriel. "So you want to see Frisk again, do you?"

The prince looked back, his eyes suddenly hopeful. "Yes."

"Alright then." Chara stood up. "Come with me. I'll take you to her."

Asriel quickly rose to his feet, only for his hope to be replaced by doubt. Was this really happening? What was Chara going to do? Was he going to see Frisk at all? Obviously, Chara was planning something. She wouldn't just give up, would she?

He eventually decided that he probably didn't have a choice in the matter. He wasn't sure what Chara was capable of, but it was probably a good idea to obey her for now. At the moment, she was his only chance of seeing Frisk again.

* * *

As Chara led him to where Frisk supposedly was, Asriel couldn't help but be a bit creeped out by the constant silence that hung in the air. The world he was in manifested as an exact copy of the Underground, except that there were no people present. As revealed by Chara, the Asgore and Toriel from before were fakes – illusions, created and controlled by the Human herself in an attempt to fool Asriel. That knowledge scared the prince even more.

Eventually, they arrived at the world's manifestation of Hotland, which oddly enough had a lower temperature than its 'physical' counterpart. In fact, Asriel hadn't felt any change in temperature so far. The whole time, it had been pleasantly warm, regardless of where he was.

Chara went straight to where Alphys' lab was, with Asriel cautiously following her. During the entire trip, the former was too cheerful for the latter's liking. He'd expected Chara to be angry, but she behaved like she was about to arrive at an amusement park. This induced the prince with nervousness and made him progressively more hesitant to continue walking. Chara had rarely ever been cheerful in any situation, and seeing how nothing currently seemed to go the way she wanted…

Upon opening the double sliding door, Asriel was met with a more empty version of the lab. The majority of furniture was gone, making it look rather boring and… Well, empty.

Despite the lack of furniture, there were two people inside. One of them appeared like some kind of tall skeleton. The other…

Asriel silently gasped upon seeing who the other one was. "Frisk!"

"Asriel!" Frisk said in a slightly raspy voice.

Both started to approach one another, maybe for a reunion hug or conversation. This was cut short, however, when Chara grabbed Asriel by the shoulder and threw him back with amazing strength. The prince practically flew through the air until his back hit the wall, knocking the air out of his lungs.

He was dazed when he hit the ground, but not unconscious. He groaned and slowly looked up at the others, but made no attempt to stand up just yet.

The intense glare Frisk sent to Chara almost made Asriel flinch. If it weren't for Gaster grabbing the former by the shoulder and keeping her away from the latter – who was grinning victoriously – Frisk would've undoubtedly attacked her opponent.

"Cha…ra…" Asriel wheezed. "What're you doing?"

"You _bitch_!" Frisk screamed to Chara as she subconsciously tried to escape from Gaster's grasp. "I'll kill you!"

"Will you?" Chara taunted. "You can't protect him, Frisky. I can."

" _SILENCE!_ " Gaster's voice boomed, surprisingly causing both Humans to jump. Chara's grin was wiped off of her face, and Frisk stopped struggling. "Chara, if you are merely here to play your petty games, I demand that you depart. Should you disobey me, I _will_ use force to remove you from my domain."

Chara sighed. "You're no fun, Gaster."

"Only those who fail to recognize the value of puns would regard me as humorless," the Royal Scientist shot back. "Now, why are you here, Chara?"

"Because I'm getting tired of waiting," the Entity responded, sounding annoyed. "So, I'm going to stay here until you're done choosing." She looked at Frisk, who defiantly glared back.

"Patience is a virtue, Chara," Gaster calmly said.

"Well, I'm not the most _virtuous_ person in the world," Chara negated. "So Frisk…what're you going to do? Either you're going to go back to your body and let me do my thing, or Asriel stays here forever."

Before Frisk could answer, Asriel suddenly spoke up. He had managed to rise to his feet, and was now looking at the other three with a serene expression. "So that's what this is about…"

He went to stand between the two Humans, right in front of Chara. He faced the Entity with no fear or anger visible in his eyes. "Either you'll let Frisk go or you'll let _me_ go."

Chara nodded, once again looking victorious. "Yup. Sounds about right."

"That's _not_ right," Frisk growled. "Chara, you—"

"I'll stay here," Asriel said. "I'll gladly stay here, as long as Frisk will be safe from you."

A silence fell.


	11. Psychological warfare

**I'm…uh…not entirely happy with this chapter. But I wasn't sure how to change it, so…**

* * *

 _Chapter eleven: Psychological warfare_

Chara's victorious expression melted away instantly when she realized that this didn't go according to her _true_ plan. She'd expected Frisk to choose Asriel above herself before the prince could interfere. Something went wrong somewhere, and now it was too late to fix it.

Frisk was horrified. She felt that she couldn't just let her friend do this. Asriel didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to be locked up forever in…here. She knew she had to do something.

She struggled against Gaster's grip. "Asriel!" she called. "Chara! This is _my_ choice!"

Chara looked from her to Asriel and back, and realized that Frisk once again made her look weak. But for the first time in a while, that felt like nothing more than a trivial concern. Asriel looked weak as always, with his eyes closed and his head bowed in regret.

Chara's one half wanted her to do as Asriel said. The other said that Frisk's choice was the only one that would truly help her.

And then there was that small part she'd always ignore. The small part she'd been bothered by many times before – the part she'd always push to the back of her head. She had slowly managed to keep it there permanently, letting it scream in vain about how she had to cease her malevolent actions. She had heard it when she tried to kill those Humans, right before her and Asriel's deaths.

Now, upon seeing the weak person that was Asriel, that small part acted up again. It futilely yelled at her from the prison it was trapped in, bellowing that there was a third option. An option that she knew about but refused to even consider.

"Asriel!" Frisk yelled again.

Asriel turned to her, a sad smile appearing on his face. "It's okay, Frisk."

"No! It's not okay! I can—"

"No. Don't. Frisk—"

"I'll be fine! Just… Please, don't do this! We can go back to the physical world and continue living our lives. I-I can take those breakdowns!"

"I cannot allow that to happen," Gaster cut in. "Listen, Frisk—"

"Shut up!" Frisk interrupted. "Just shut up! And let me go!"

"I cannot—" the Royal Scientist began, but fell silent when the Human freed herself from his grasp. "Frisk!"

Frisk didn't allow him to restrain her again. She quickly turned to Chara and ran towards her, readying herself for a fight. Asriel's eyes widened and he quickly took a defensive stance in front of the Entity, who was still in conflict with herself.

When Frisk came close, Asriel proceeded to stop her in her tracks. He took a step forward and managed to grab the Human, who immediately began to violently struggle in the prince's arms. She tried to reach Chara, but through the use of sheer physical strength, Asriel held her in place.

He eventually managed to push her away from Chara before forcing himself to look into her eyes. "Frisk, don't do this…"

Frisk glared at him. "Stop telling me to sit at the sidelines and do nothing!"

"You shouldn't risk yourself for me! I should've died a long time ago."

"That's not true!"

"Enough," Gaster intervened. "There are no alternatives. The Entity has spoken."

Frisk turned to him. "I can't believe you're just letting this happen! If you're really still connected to Sans and Papyrus, you'd fight _her_!" She pointed at Chara.

The Royal Scientist regretfully looked at her. "As much as I wish to, my influence on this situation's outcome is limited. If I were to confront her, I would inevitably be defeated – forfeiting what is left of my domain in the process, and granting Chara absolute control over your memories."

"I don't care!"

"You should."

"Chara," Asriel spoke.

"What is it?" Chara asked, her patience running low.

For a second, the prince remained silent. Then, he let out a chuckle. "I…"

The others looked at him. No one, not even Chara, dared say a word. Frisk was worried. But she was also determined. She _was_ going to get Asriel out of here alive, even if it meant her own death or imprisonment. She'd get him out regardless of how terribly Chara was going to torment her for it.

Finally, after a long silence, Asriel looked up at the Entity, his eyes red once more.

"Do you remember when you fell into the Underground?"

* * *

 _Walking around Home probably would've been nice if it weren't for the enormous groups of people everywhere and the loud noise that came with them. Most Monsters who had the idea of taking a stroll in the capital would go to somewhat quieter places, away from the commotion that plagued most of the streets. The downside to this was that the quiet places were oftentimes a bit_ too _quiet, creating a feeling of loneliness and – in some cases – nervousness._

 _Being the prince was even worse when it came to taking a walk. People would sometimes point and gape whenever he walked by, inadvertently reminding him of how lonely he was. Sure, he had his parents and he loved them, but sometimes he wished he had a brother or sister to play with._

 _Going to one of the calmer areas of Home had the same effect: a reminder of solitude. Sure, there were some Monster here and there, but they were usually just talking among themselves. If only Asriel had a friend to do that with. Most people around regarded him as the prince of the Underground, causing them to shy away on sight – something Asriel never understood._

 _Either way, the prince was bored out of his mind as he absentmindedly wandered towards where the famous flower bed was placed, hoping that he'd find something that'd keep him busy. Anything would be better than what he was going through now._

 _He remembered what his parents told him about the flower bed: that it was meant to give any Human that fell into the Underground a safe landing. Asgore and Toriel were firm in their belief that the Humans, despite being responsible for the imprisonment of Monsterkind, should be shown mercy. Perhaps, eventually, there would even be a chance of peace between the two races…_

 _A brief scream rung out, followed by a dulled_ thud _._

 _Asriel flinched and looked towards where the sounds seemed to have come from. He suddenly felt really nervous. It didn't help that there was no other Monster in sight. He was completely alone as far as he could tell._

 _A weak cry sounded through the place, originating from the same location as the sounds from before. The prince quickly realized that whoever was making that noise may be in need of help. This thought made him move again, though slowly and hesitantly, towards the flower bed._

 _"_ _It sounds like it came from over here…" he subconsciously mumbled before reaching the room he was heading for._

 _Then, he saw it._

 _A Human. Lying on the flowers._

* * *

"Shut up," Chara finally interrupted, though her voice wasn't as powerful as it had been before.

Asriel looked at her. "I miss the people we were back then."

"Shut _up_!"

The Entity ran towards him and grabbed him by the collar. She threateningly raised her fist as she menacingly made eye contact with him.

"No…!" Frisk blurted out. She ran towards the duo, but some sort of telekinetic attack threw her back and to the ground. She looked at Gaster, who gave a sorrowful look.

"Frisk," he sadly spoke, "there is nothing you can do."

Asriel had remained unfazed. He didn't flinch when Chara grabbed him, making the Entity lower her fist in confusion.

She blinked. _How can he_ not _be afraid?_ She wondered. _He's scared of everything, but not of…this?_

The prince's eyes didn't show fear. They didn't show anger. Just sadness.

"Chara…" he softly said, but was interrupted by the Human in question raising her fist again.

"Shut up!" she growled.

Asriel sighed. "I don't know exactly what happened to you… But I know that everything you've done so far is really because…of us. Because you want us to be a family again."

Chara didn't reply. She stood frozen, her wide eyes filled with rage, doubt and fear.

"It must've been terrible for you here," Asriel continued. "Watching the Underground get overturned after our deaths. All those years, watching the people you know by name commit…unspeakable things. It must've done something to you."

Frisk and Gaster were astonished by what was happening before their eyes. Despite Gaster's best efforts, he'd always lost whenever he was challenged by the Entity. Frisk, whose determination could end wars, save the Soulless and injure the incorporeal, had been unable to get Asriel out of his prison. And now, Asriel himself – the one who was supposed to be the weakest one of the four – seemed to be defeating Chara in his own way.

Gaster felt the Entity getting weaker. His own strength began to return.

"You've probably seen Flowey do even worse things," the prince went on. "His Resets… You were able to see them, weren't you? Everything that's happened just…changed you. But…Chara. Changed or not—"

"Shut—" Chara began.

"—you're still my sister," the prince said.

Chara silently gasped. For a moment, she hesitated.

Then, she launched her fist forward.

Asriel felt it collide with his face, knocking him to the ground. He didn't scream or groan in pain. Not even the slightest yelp escaped his throat.

Frisk's reaction, however, wasn't so calm. She made another attempt to reach Chara, but Gaster interfered again and threw the Human backwards with great telekinetic force. This didn't prove to be enough, as said Human immediately stood up and ran towards the Entity – who was staring at Asriel with an angry yet bewildered look – before being knocked backwards again.

Suddenly, Asriel – who was still on the ground – began to speak, making Frisk freeze.

* * *

 _Chara subconsciously groaned._

 _Her brains felt numb, yet at the same time shaken. It was as if one half had spent time in a centrifuge, while the other half had been stored in a freezer. It wasn't a very pleasant experience, but she hardly cared. It wasn't like her time in her village had been much better._

This doesn't feel like any afterlife. _She soon realized._ Then again, who am I to know what an afterlife feels like? Heh…

 _"_ _Oh!" a voice suddenly exclaimed. "You've fallen down, haven't you…"_

 _The Human slowly managed to get on all fours before opening her eyes, revealing a bed of golden flowers underneath her. They were unusually soft and seemed to have broken her fall, although it hadn't been enough to leave her completely uninjured._

 _Suddenly, a pair of hands carefully grabbed her by the shoulders._

 _"_ _Are you okay?" the voice from before asked. "Here, get up…"_

 _Chara felt the hands pulling her up, slowly helping her to her feet. She didn't make any effort to look up at the person, who now slowly started walking with her in his arms. The Human walked with him, letting her head hang, being too weak to resist._

 _The trip took a while – mostly because of the duo's slow pace – and both remained silent. The boy who supported Chara was heavily drawing breath, but his grip remained steadfast. Chara half expected him to drop her at any moment, either because he was tired or simply because he could._

 _But that didn't happen, which Chara found kind of…odd._

 _Another odd thing was the boy's feet, which were covered in white fur and had toes with small claws. Chara eventually concluded that he was simply wearing masterfully decorated shoes, but something at the back of her mind told her that that wasn't the case. Regardless, her weakened mind dismissed it as something trivial._

 _Eventually, she found herself being brought into a small, unlit room and placed onto a bed. She looked at the boy, but it was too dark to see his face. The light that came from the open doorway wasn't enough to reveal his appearance._

 _"_ _I'll…be back," the boy said, still out of breath. "Stay here…okay? I'm…going to…get my mom. She can…help."_

 _Chara gave a nod and closed her eyes, to which the unidentified person walked out of the room._

* * *

"You really don't know when to _shut up_ , do you?" Chara growled as she threateningly towered over the prince, who was still on the ground. "You never did."

Despite the situation, Asriel chuckled. "Nope. You're right."

"Then maybe I should _teach_ you to shut up." The Entity kneeled down next to her brother and grabbed him by the collar once again. This time, however, she didn't raise her fist.

"Stop!" Frisk screamed. "Asriel's not your target! I am."

"No," Asriel weakly said.

"Stop…" Chara suddenly whispered. Her voice sounded pained, a contrast to the menacing tone she had mere seconds ago. Her angry expression had made place for a pleading one. "Asriel, just…stop. This is hard enough as it is."

"Then make it easier," Asriel whispered back.

She sighed. There was nothing left of that victorious feeling from before. Asriel saw the conflict play out behind her eyes, and realized that he was really getting through to her.

* * *

 _Chara woke up._

 _She looked around the dark room, trying to remember what had happened. She managed to recall flashes of falling down, landing on something soft, being brought to this place by an unidentified boy whose feet were covered in fur…_

 _That was it. That was all she could remember before inadvertently falling asleep. How long had she been out? Had the boy been successful in getting help? She didn't feel any kind of pain or nausea, so that was good, right?_

 _Suddenly, the door opened, revealing the silhouette of a figure that vaguely looked Human…ish._

 _"_ _Howdy!" the figure said as it entered the room. It was definitely the boy from before. "You're awake! How're you feeling?"_

 _Chara hesitated. "Uh…good, I guess…"_

 _"_ _That's good!"_

 _The figure walked towards the other side of the room and turned on a light, causing Chara to reflexively close her eyes. She heard the boy's soft footsteps head her way. When he reached her, he kneeled down next to her bed. Chara backed up a bit._

 _"_ _What's your name?" the boy asked._

 _Chara opened her eyes slightly, allowing a sliver of bright light to reach her eyes. After forcing herself to open her eyes further, she flinched when she saw the boy's face._

 _His face generally looked Human, yet…not. It was completely covered in white fur, and the shape reminded Chara of a goat. His inhuman ears were long and droopy and limply hung on the sides of his head. His teeth were sharp, and his small, toothy smile revealed his long fangs._

 _She was looking at a…goat boy?_

A Monster, _she realized._ A Monster, just like how the legends described.

 _Her eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth with the intention to scream. All that escaped was a strangled whisper. The boy backed up, his friendly smile turning into a worried expression as the Human scrambled backwards and sat up. She felt her back getting pressed against the wall behind her._

 _"_ _Um…" the boy said after a few seconds, "you_ are _okay, right?"_

 _Chara didn't reply._

 _"_ _Um… Person?" The goat hesitated. "Uh… What do you want me to call you?"_

 _Chara still didn't budge at first, leaving the boy to look at her inquisitively. However, with the little control she had over her mind, she realized that refusing to answer might anger this creature, whose goatlike features were enough to scare her._

 _She slowly opened her mouth to reply. After a brief moment of hesitation, she managed to blurt out a raspy "Chara."_

 _"_ _What's that?" the boy asked._

 _"_ _M-my name…" Chara incoherently stuttered, "Chara…"_

 _For some reason, that made the goat boy smile again. "Chara, huh?" He gave a nod. "That's a nice name."_

 _A silence fell._

Did he really just say that? _Chara asked herself. The boy's smile appeared sincere, and so did the compliment he just gave her. It almost made her blush, and despite the situation she had to resist the temptation to timidly look away._

 _"_ _My name is Asriel," the boy said. "It's nice to meet you, Chara."_

* * *

Knowing that telling her brother to shut up wouldn't work, Chara had taken a seat on the floor with her back against the wall, patiently waiting for Asriel to stop reminiscing. She felt herself getting weaker every time the prince spoke. By simply reminding her of the person she used to be and the person _he_ was, he had literally caused her determination to diminish. She 'saw' Gaster grab the power she let go of, but she didn't care as much as she had moments prior.

When Asriel was done talking, a silence ensued, which was eventually interrupted by Chara's sigh.

"I…" she muttered, but quickly found out that that was the only word she was able to find. She felt conflicted. The suppressed voice in her head had gained more power.

Asriel had stood up during the story. Now, he staggered towards his fallen sibling and kneeled down in front of her. "Chara…"

Chara remained silent. She felt her eyes sting.

Another silence.

Then, slowly, Chara rose to her feet. Asriel did the same.

The Entity stood there for a second, motionless, her eyes devoid of emotion. Then she looked up at her brother, who looked back with a small, compassionate, merciful smile.

"Well…that got sappy…" Chara softly chuckled. She then sighed, turning serious again. "None of it was your fault, Asriel. Remember that." She closed her eyes. "Goodbye."

Asriel's own eyes widened. "Chara?"

But his sister vanished into thin air, leaving the prince with a sting in his gut. He turned around and let his gaze examine the room in search of Chara, only to find that Frisk and Gaster were the only ones present. He looked at the latter in alarm.

"Where'd she go?!"

Gaster seemed shocked as well. "I…I am unsure."

"Wait!" Frisk exclaimed. "This happened before. What if she just went back to her own part of the world?"

"The manifestation of New Home," Asriel realized. He turned to the door and was about to walk through it, only to be interrupted when Gaster spoke up again.

"She is not in New Home," the Royal Scientist said. "I am unable to locate her."

The goat man turned back to him. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"She is still in this world, but she is concealing herself. If I am unable to see her, you are unable find her. I am sorry."

"We _have_ to find her!" Asriel said. "Chara – she's…she's…" A lump appeared in his throat.

Frisk stepped forward. "Asriel…"

"We-we gotta… We…"

"I am…certain she merely wishes some time for herself," Gaster tried. Asriel glared at him.

"Y-you… You're the one who's been messing with Sans and Papyrus!" he accused. "How could I trust you?!"

"Chara trusted me, it seems. When you were getting through to her, she released a large portion of her power over this world – allowing me to _acquire_ power."

Frisk looked down. "Asriel…I believe him."

The prince stood frozen for a second, hesitating. Then, he let out a shaky sigh and let his tears fall.

* * *

"They're waking up!" Alphys called, causing everyone else in the room to stand up and make their ways to the two stretchers, where Frisk and Asriel's eyes were slowly opening.

"Ugh…" Asriel mumbled as his hand went to his eyes, rubbing the sleepiness out of them. Frisk tried to sit up, but her muscles felt like they had been replaced with jelly. While that didn't stop her from trying, it made things many times more difficult.

"A-are you all right?" Toriel asked. "Oh my goodness, I was so worried about you two! I felt so worthless and afraid, just sitting here and waiting for you to wake up, I truly wished I could have helped you with your mission, and…and…"

Asriel put a hand on her arm, causing Toriel to fall silent. "Don't say that, Mom," the prince said. "You're not worthless."

"OH, THANK GOODNESS!" Papyrus exclaimed. "THE SILENT TENSION HERE WAS _UNBEARABLE_! WHEN DR. ALPHYS TOLD US YOU WERE WAKING UP MERE MOMENTS AGO, I WAS _SO_ RELIEVED!"

"we all were," Sans spoke as he helped Frisk sit up. He looked at her. "how'd it go?" he softly asked.

"I think we did it," Frisk replied, though no sign of joy was visible on her face.

Sans hesitated. "uh… did this whole mess really involve…gaster?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, it did."

"He doesn't seem like the worst guy, though," Asriel said as he himself sat up with a bit of help from Asgore.

"Why?" Undyne asked. "How'd he fit into all of this?"

"He was on our side, actually," Frisk said. She looked at Sans and Papyrus. "For what it's worth, I think he feels kind of bad for scaring you guys."

"at least that's something," Sans said. Papyrus nodded approvingly.

"B-but…" Alphys spoke, "if he helped you… Who was responsible for…?" She glanced at Frisk.

A brief silence fell.

"It's…uh…not important," the Human said. "Don't ask."

The Royal Scientist swallowed and nodded. The others didn't seem to be entirely happy with Frisk's reply, but no one objected.

"It has been a long day," Asgore said. "Perhaps we should all simply go home and rest."

"Good idea," Asriel agreed. "Let's do that."

* * *

 **I kind of tried to make Asriel's 'battle' with Chara a bit similar to Frisk's battle with Asriel at the end of Undertale. I mean, this version of 'Asriel vs. Chara' is less intense, but the former does use means that are similar to Frisk's SAVEing ability – except that there are no Lost Souls or goat deities of death involved.**


	12. Epilogue - Photon readings positive

_Epilogue – Photon readings positive_

 **The next morning – Asgore's castle, New Home**

Frisk woke up from a much-needed good night's sleep, and was quick to notice that Asriel's bed on the other side of the room was already empty. This disoriented her, as Asriel didn't usually get up much earlier than she did. What time was it?

In an attempt to answer that question, Frisk sat up and grabbed her phone from under her bed. When it was turned on, the time was automatically displayed on the screen.

 _11:47 a.m.._

She almost gasped upon seeing this. She'd been asleep until 11:47?! She hadn't slept that long in a while. She'd almost feel lazy if it weren't for the intense activities of the past few days.

Speaking of which, she felt better than she had before. She somehow felt more confident that the threat of breakdowns was gone, and this night's rest had compensated for the times she lay awake because of a panic attack. Seemed like Gaster really did acquire some power. And Chara…

Chara…

Frisk still wasn't sure what to think of her. Generally, she couldn't help but feel bad for her fellow Human, especially now that she no longer seems to have a problem with Frisk – or at least, not as _much_ of a problem as before. It was still difficult to forget the situation Chara had put everyone in, but the same could be said for the look in her eyes when she left Gaster's domain. And the power she'd allowed the Royal Scientist to have, of course.

When Frisk checked if she had any messages, she saw that both Asriel and Sans had texted her. She first went to see what the former had sent.

 ** _Asriel:_** _Hi_

 ** _Asriel:_** _You there?_

 ** _Asriel:_** _Plz text me when u wake up_

Before replying, the Human decided to check on Sans' texts. Her eyes widened a bit upon reading them. She'd half expected a barrage of puns, making the actual messages all the more disturbing.

 ** _Sans:_** _hey kid_

 ** _Sans:_** _just askin, did gaster say anything about the future?_

 ** _Sans:_** _as in, was he gonna come back to haunt me and pap?_

 ** _Sans:_** _plz tell me when ur awake_

Frisk began to type.

 ** _Frisk:_** _Nope, he didn't_

 ** _Frisk:_** _Why?_

 ** _Sans:_** _ah ur awake_

 ** _Sans:_** _pap and i have more memories_

 ** _Frisk:_** _From him?_

 ** _Sans:_** _yea. weird, right?_

 ** _Frisk:_** _What kind of memories?_

 ** _Sans:_** _nothin great. some flashes_

 ** _Sans:_** _pap and i dont really mind, but its a bit disturbing, yknow?_

 ** _Frisk:_** _Is everything alright?_

 ** _Sans:_** _sure. just wanted to know if gaster said anything bout it_

 ** _Sans:_** _now you better get breakfast, sleepyskull_

Frisk rolled her eyes at that last one. She went back to Asriel's text messages and resumed typing once she was there.

 ** _Frisk:_** _Sup_

 ** _Asriel:_** _Ah, you're awake_

 ** _Asriel:_** _Sleep well?_

 ** _Frisk:_** _Yes actually_

 ** _Asriel:_** _I'm glad_

 ** _Asriel:_** _Can I talk to you in person plz?_

 ** _Frisk:_** _Where are u?_

 ** _Asriel:_** _Ruins_

 ** _Frisk:_** _I first gotta get breakfast & stuff_

 ** _Frisk:_** _Gonna take a while_

 ** _Asriel:_** _Take your time_

 _ **Frisk:**_ _Cya there_

* * *

Asriel was on his knees, looking at the flower bed in front of him. He was sitting extremely still and his eyes were completely focused on the flowers, making it look like he was meditating. The heart locket in his hand reflected the sunlight in several directions. His attention was drawn when he heard footsteps. He looked to his right, where Frisk emerged from the hallway. He stood up when she entered the room, quickly put the locket around his neck and hid it underneath his shirt.

"Hey," Frisk greeted. "Toriel said you were acting weird."

Asriel looked at her. "Yeah…"

A second of silence occurred before the Human walked towards the prince, giving him a pitied look. "Hey look…uh… About Chara…"

"What about her?"

"Asriel… You were separated from her. _Again_."

"True. But now I know she might be alive."

"Actually, that's my point."

Asriel's expression turned into a questioning one. "What do you mean?"

"All these years, you never really got over her death, did you? Then it turns out she's alive, only for her to disappear. And as much as I hate to say this, we're…not sure if she's still alive at the moment. For all we know she…" She paused. "She could've simply…left."

Asriel sighed. He looked at the ground. "I guess…you're right. It kind of crossed my mind already. After what happened, she might've…" He trailed off before looking up at Frisk. "Mom and Dad can never know about her. It'd just break their hearts all over again."

"I know…"

Another silence.

The prince looked at the flower bed. A sad smile made its way onto his face. "You know… My memories of these flowers are…weird. Bittersweet, I guess. It's where I met Chara. And after you saved me, I came back here." He sighed again. "And then there's Flowey…

"Chara said you didn't have the right to live, because the only reason why you're alive is because you were born with a stronger Soul. You were more determined than those other Humans. You were prepared to Reset a million times if that was what it'd take.

"Chara said Dad's war shouldn't've stopped, and that all Humans deserved to die so Monsters could live on the Surface in peace. Her love for Humans was never that great, but it had definitely become worse. And when I tried to tell her that she was wrong, she…she reminded me of how I refused to save Monsterkind – twice. And I…"

Frisk put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes in response in an attempt to keep the tears from appearing again.

"Before she left…" Frisk softly spoke, "she said that none of it was your fault."

Asriel sighed and nodded. Then he wiped his eyes, smiling sadly. "Argh… I'm such a crybaby."

"Hey… Like I said before, there's nothing wrong with that. It means you care."

* * *

Gaster was walking around the manifestation of Hotland when he suddenly sensed something appear nearby. His eye sockets gave away his surprise upon recognizing it, before he turned around to meet the familiar yet different appearance of the Entity, who looked unusually uncertain. She was looking at the ground in sorrow, unable to meet the former Royal Scientist's eyes, holding a heart locket in her hand.

A brief moment of silence occurred before Gaster spoke. "Chara?"

Chara didn't respond.

Gaster took a step towards her. "Chara… Are you all right?"

The Human sighed. "Why do you care?"

"I simply do. Papyrus' compassion came from me, after all. Even though I seemed to lack it when I attempted to communicate with him and Sans all those years ago…"

"Heh… Whatever. Why feel bad for a maniac like me?"

"You appear to be regretful. And for a maniac, you have surrendered quite a bit of your power."

"Courtesy of Asriel." Chara sighed again. "You know, I _really_ wanted to talk to him again… But when I did, I messed everything up. He deserves a better friend than me." She looked to her right, where the sea of magma was still present. "Like Frisk."

She dropped the heart locket on the ground. The Royal Scientist glanced at it before calmly walking towards the Entity, carefully picking up the necklace and observing it. He appeared to have a certain interest in the trinket, but in a way that involved more emotion than it did science.

"Asriel misses you," he said. "He is unaware of your current status."

The Human looked at him. "He thinks I'm dead?"

"He is unsure."

Chara hesitated and briefly averted her gaze. "What about Frisk?"

"I believe she, too, acknowledged your repentance – to a certain extent, at least."

For the third time, a sigh escaped Chara's throat. "Look…I don't know if you're the kind of person who's interested in my problems…"

"I am here to listen if you need to talk," Gaster said.

"Thanks."

"You will see your family again, Chara."

"I hope you're right."

"I _know_ I am correct. It _will_ happen."

"I don't know if fate has that in mind."

"Perhaps not, but you possess a power that can bring fate to its knees."

"A power I've been misusing for the past years."

"Simply by realizing the error of your ways, you have begun to walk a better path. And you cannot be blamed for everything. It was not you who started the war." Gaster held the locket out to her.

"I was _ready_ to start one." Chara said. She paused, glancing at the necklace. "Guess I'm going to have to…redeem myself, then?"

Gaster nodded approvingly. "Then allow me to assist you."

A ghost of a smile appeared on the Human's face. She looked at the locket again before decisively taking it and putting it around her neck.

* * *

"DO YOU THINK…GASTER _GAVE_ US THESE MEMORIES?" Papyrus asked. "AS SOME SORT OF COMMUNICATION?"

"who knows," Sans said, taking a sip from his ketchup. "but really, i think it's a side effect of contacting him. either way, i don't really mind the memories themselves, but it's like that weird feeling we used to have, y'know?"

"YES… AS IF THERE'S SOMETHING IN YOUR HEAD THAT DOESN'T BELONG." Papyrus sat down next to his brother on the couch. "AND THE ONLY WAY FOR US TO LET IT INTEGRATE IS TO WAIT."

"yeah… the least thing gaster could've done was give us some medicine or somethin'."

Despite the situation, the taller skeleton chuckled. "I WOULDN'T DARE SWALLOW THOSE."

It remained silent for a while. Then, Sans grabbed the remote control and turned on the television. "come on. let's see what mettaton has to say."

* * *

 **The end…**

 **I hope you enjoyed this story, despite it being a bit different from its predecessor. I may make another sequel, and possibly more.**

 **In any case, have a good day.**

 **~F**


End file.
